Romancing the Blade
by Lowrider
Summary: When Rin is threatened after saving Sia from a kidnapping attempt, the King of Gods assigns his most trusted guard to protect Rin and his friends. In doing so, he inadvertently introduced Rin to the love of his life.
1. Mission Start

'How much more complicated is my life gonna get this year?' was the sole thought that kept running through his head as he walked the halls of Verbena High School. In the matter of just a few days' time, Rin had not only met the royal families of both the Demon Realm and Gods' Realm, but he'd also been told he was a potential marriage candidate for both princesses. The jockeying between the two girls to win his favor had already begun and no one seemed eager to help him with such a predicament. Add on top of it all the sighs coming from Kaede, the girl who he'd grown up with, as well as generous teasing from Asa, his longtime upperclassman and friend, and it was enough to wear anyone down.

Now Kareha, Asa's friend and member of the race of Gods, had delivered a message to him that someone wished to meet with him on the roof of the school. Rin idly went through the various scenarios that he figured might play out. Another would-be lover confessing to him? A mob of angry boys that wanted to jump him for "monopolizing" all the pretty girls? Another sigh escaped him as he opened the doors to the roof and walked out into the open air, hoping whatever this was it would be over with quickly.

"So you've come." A disembodied voice said. Rin looked around and saw no one anywhere on the roof. "My deepest apologies for calling you out like this, but I wanted to meet with you personally as soon as possible."

"That's all well and good, but it's not much of a meeting if I can't see you as well…" Rin commented.

"Ah, yes. Again, my apologies."

There was a brief shimmer and a thin figure suddenly appeared not a few feet away from Rin. The person was clearly of the race of Gods with their short, pointed ears, and they wore a Verbena boys' uniform. The boy looked to be roughly the same age as Rin, but with a fairly slight figure and amazingly long, light brown hair.

"Mine is a job of secrecy, so I am accustomed to using cloaking magic to avoid detection." He said. His voice was deep and monotone, but not entirely devoid of emotion.

"Oookaaay." Rin said skeptically, folding his arms. "So who are you, and what's this all about?"

"I am a member of the personal guard of his majesty Eustoma, king of the Gods. Specifically I am tasked with the safety and security of her majesty Princess Lisianthus. I wished to make acquaintance of he who would one day become heir to his majesty's throne."

"Oh." Was about all Rin could manage in response. "Well, uh, nice to meet you. I'm Rin Tsuchimi."

Rin extended his hand to the guard, who seemed a bit taken aback at the gesture. After a moment of consideration, though, the guard took his hand and shook it lightly. Rin was a bit surprised as well. For a guy who worked as a royal guard, he had rather soft hands.

"So, uh, do you have a name?" Rin asked, scratching his head.

"Mine isn't an existence one such as you should concern themselves with. I am merely here to ensure the Princess' safety. And, of course, yours as well." The guard said.

"That's all well and good, but if you're going to be hanging around and making sudden appearances like this I'd just as soon know your name. Unless you're okay with 'Hey you' or 'Mr. Royal Guard guy'."

The guard smirked and regarded Rin curiously. "You are an interesting sort, Rin-dono. But very well. You may call me Matsuri, if it pleases you."

"Okay, Matsuri. So I guess you'll be around a lot, then?"

"Rest assured you will not be aware of my presence unless it is absolutely necessary. I have no intention of interfering with your day-to-day life or your courtship of the Princess."

Rin coughed at the inference of a romance with Sia. "If you say so, but don't be a stranger okay? Lunchtime is always more fun with more people around."

Matsuri looked aghast at the idea. "Sir Rin, I could never sit and eat along with the Princess! It would be unseemly. Additionally, as you can tell I am also a student here at Verbena so I have my own classes and matters to attend to."

"I'm sure Sia wouldn't mind, and it's not like we don't get plenty of visitors from around the school anyway. But whatever's comfortable with you, I guess. So is there anything else for us to go over?"

"Not presently, but as I said I will contact you if anything comes up."

"Alright." Rin said, sighing in relief. "I have to say, this was a welcome change."

"I'm afraid I don't follow, Rin-dono…" Matsuri said, cocking his eyebrow at him.

"Well, I thought you might be yet another girl confessing her love to me or something like that. And when I saw you were a guy I was worried I had a fight on my hands. It's nice to meet someone else here who's actually sane. I think we'll get along just fine, Matsuri."

"That is my sincerest hope, Rin-dono. Well, I will take my leave of you for now. Until next we meet."

Matsuri walked past Rin and back into the building. Rin followed close behind, but Matsuri was already gone by the time he got through the doorway. He shrugged and headed back to the classroom to gather his things and head home, wondering what misadventures awaited him that night and in the future.

* * *

Rin was just about to get ready for bed that night when there came a soft knocking at his window. He pulled back the curtain to see what it was and fell out of his chair. Matsuri was on a tree branch just outside. He slid the window open and stepped into Rin's room.

"Pardon the intrusion." Matsuri said apologetically.

"We have a front door, you know." Rin remarked, standing back up.

Matsuri's face was unmoved by the comment. He was calm but at the same time intensely serious. "Under normal circumstances I would make a proper entrance; however, something has come up that I must consult you about."

"Consult with me?" Rin repeated.

"Yes. It is with regard to a matter we have been investigating most recently."Matsuri said, making eye contact with Rin. "We have reason to believe someone is going to attempt to kidnap her majesty Princess Lisianthus."

"What?!"

"We've received several communications threatening such action if certain demands are not met, and we believe someone has been making preparations to attempt an abduction."

"Do you have any idea who's behind it?"

"We have an idea, but the problem is we haven't been able to track down the would-be abductors. We think they are using magic to conceal their presence until they carry out their mission."

"Is there anything I can do to help? Sia's safety is important to me too."

"This is not a foe you can take on, Rin-dono. They are skilled at combat and magic as well. You would do well to keep yourself out of harm's way here."

"I'm not going to just stand by and watch as Sia gets taken away, Matsuri. There has to be something I can do."

Matsuri stroked his chin in thought for a moment and then an idea occurred to him. He reached into his pocket and produced a small ring with a glittering gemstone set into it.

"Take this with you. Think of it as a protective charm." Matsuri said, handing the ring to Rin. "The stone is imbued with potent magic. If something should happen, point the ring at the attacker and concentrate. It will signal me to come to your aid."

"What if you're nowhere nearby?"

Matsuri smirked at Rin at the thought. "Don't underestimate the ring's magic, Rin-dono. Trust it and me as well. This may be our best chance to both protect her majesty and capture the perpetrators."

"I understand." Rin said, putting the ring on his dresser. "Thanks for the heads up, Matsuri. I'll be careful."

"Please do be, Rin-dono. Your continued health and safety is of high importance to me." Matsuri said, adding quickly, "Since, after all, you are an important individual to her majesty. Not to mention you are our future ruler as well."

Rin groaned inwardly and just nodded to him. "If you say so, Matsuri."

"I will take my leave of you now, then, Sir Rin. Good night."

"Good night. Oh, and Matsuri?"

"Yes?"

"Next time you want to come in, use the door."

"I will remember that, Rin-dono." Matsuri said with a nervous smile. Rin closed the curtains as Matsuri left and then turned out his lights as he prepared for bed.

It all happened so fast Rin could barely keep up with the series of events. He'd been out shopping with Sia and Kaede when Sia suddenly fainted, hit by a powerful spell of some kind. Rin moved to try and get her to safety but was thrown back by a powerful force. As a figure quickly closed on him he used the ring Matsuri had given him and, just as promised, Matsuri appeared in an instant with a magical blade in hand. He took assailants in custody and contacted his superiors with information about the incident. Rin was now back home flopped down on his bed, trying not to think about how much his back hurt when a telltale knock at his window told him someone wanted to talk again. He slowly got up and opened the window for Matsuri, who quickly stepped inside.

"Pardon the intrusion." Matsuri said meekly.

"You really have a thing against doors, don't you?" Rin quipped. Matsuri, however, was clearly in no mood for joking. He had a downcast expression on his face.

"I…I came to ask your apology for earlier." He said.

"Apology? For what?"

"Had I been closer by or more attentive, you would not have been so injured trying to protect her majesty. It was my own arrogance that caused you this pain. I should not have been so comfortable with using you in such a way. I humbly beg your forgiveness, Rin-dono."

"Matsuri, you said yourself that this was the best chance to save Sia and catch the ones who were after her. If taking a bump or two was the price I had to pay to make that happen, it was worth it."

"But I-"

"Enough, okay? There's nothing for you to apologize for. Everything worked out, didn't it? That's what matters."

Matsuri's expression softened and he slowly cracked a smile. "Yes, I suppose you're right Sir Rin. Still, please allow me to tend to your wounds. It's the least I can do for you."

"It's really not that big a deal, Matsuri." Rin said, leaning against a wall. The contact sent shots of pain through his back and he winced at the sensation. Matsuri looked at him unimpressed by his attempt at bravado as Rin simply laughed self-consciously.

"Take off your shirt and sit so I can see your back." Matsuri told him. Rin nodded in compliance and pulled his t-shirt off as he sat on the edge of his bed, unaware of the suddenly embarrassed look that crossed Matsuri's face. Matsuri sat down a distance away from Rin and looked at the scratches and welts on his back from the impact he'd taken.

"This is much worse than I thought. The attackers really didn't pull any punches with you." Matsuri said, applying some healing magic to Rin's back. "I'm impressed you still had the presence of mind to use the ring."

"It was definitely handy to have. I don't know what would've happened if I hadn't had it." Rin replied. "Really, Matsuri, thanks again for that. And for protecting us all, especially Sia."

"Thank you for your kind words, Rin-dono."

Matsuri continued to apply healing magic to Rin's back until it was reasonably well recovered. Once done, he immediately got up and stepped back towards the window a bit as Rin put his shirt back on.

"If you have any further pain please let me know and I will fetch some proper healers for you."

"I'll be fine, thanks Matsuri. So will things calm down now that you guys caught the people behind this?"

"I'm afraid not. All we caught were mercenaries paid to do a specific job. They aren't the masterminds behind this."

"So we all have to still be careful, I guess."

"In the future, yes. However, we feel there will not be a repeat incident such as this any time soon so things should quiet down a little."

"Quiet would be good." Rin said as he laid back down on his bed.

Matsuri bowed slightly to him as he opened the window. "I will leave you to enjoy it, then. Good night, Sir Rin."

"See you later, Matsuri. Oh, and next time…"

"I will endeavor to use the door."

"That'd be great." Rin said as he rolled over. Matsuri closed the window behind him and quickly left as Rin drifted off to sleep, hoping the bulk of the excitement was behind them now.


	2. Threats and Misunderstandings

A couple of days had passed since the attempt to kidnap Sia and things had indeed quieted down significantly. Rin hadn't seen anything of Matsuri since then, but given everything that had been going on in his life recently he didn't think much of it. Presently the only thing on his mind was carrying the groceries back home with Kaede.

"There's really no need for you to help me with the shopping, Rin." Kaede told him. "You should just take it easy at home and leave this to me."

"I've got to start pulling my own weight around here sometime, Kaede. In another couple of years we'll be out of high school and then everything changes." Rin replied.

"Yes, but until then you should try to enjoy life as much as possible."

"Trust me, Kaede, I'm plenty happy these days."

Kaede wanted to continue the conversation, but was cut off as something darted just past her face and hit the front door of their house. She and Rin looked to see an elaborate dagger sticking into the door, pinning a note of some kind to it. Kaede staggered backwards, wavering a bit as Rin looked around wildly trying to see where it had come from. When Rin turned back to the door, Matsuri was suddenly there and looking over both the letter and the dagger. Rin checked on Kaede briefly and then stepped over next to Matsuri to look at the letter. It wasn't written in any language he understood.

"Matsuri, what the hell is this?!" Rin demanded.

"It's written in the language of the Gods." Matsuri said grimly. "And this isn't good. We must go consult with his majesty immediately."

"Give us enough time to put these groceries away at least, then we'll go." Rin told him. Matsuri wanted to protest, but Rin was already ushering Kaede inside so as to finish their errand. A few minutes later they emerged from the house and all three went next door to talk to Eustoma.

A short while later, Rin and Kaede were sitting with Sia waiting as Matsuri spoke with Eustoma at length regarding the note. Sia had attempted to lighten the mood, but her efforts were falling flat as both Rin and Kaede were fairly shaken by the incident. The silence in the room was finally broken when Matsuri and Eustoma returned after conferring extensively.

"So what's going on?" Rin asked as he stood up.

"Unfortunately it's exactly what I'd hoped to avoid, Rin-dono." Matsuri said sadly.

"This isn't your fault, Matsuri." Eustoma said. "Rin-dono wasn't going to just sit by and let Sia be taken. My future son-in-law isn't that kind of man."

Eustoma then looked over at Rin, his usual smile fading as a grim look came over his face.

"The ones who were behind the attack on Sia last week have decided that the best way to go about getting to her, and thus me, is by eliminating any interference first." He said. "That means you, Rin-dono."

"The letter was a threat to you, Rin-dono, promising severe retribution upon you and your loved ones for your interference." Matsuri added.

"Wait…does that mean Kaede's at risk too?" Rin asked, suddenly alarmed.

"I'm afraid so, and not just her." Eustoma said. "Practically anyone close to you could end up being a target as well now. It's an incredibly cowardly tactic just to get to me."

"Rest assured, we will work tirelessly until this matter is resolved, Rin-dono. For the time being, however, you must be especially careful. There's no telling when or where an attack could occur." Matsuri said.

"Hold on, Matsuri. That's not enough." Eustoma said. "I won't let Rin-dono and his friends go unprotected while we grasp at straws trying to resolve this matter. I'm going to arrange for some special protection for him."

"What do you mean by 'special protection'?" Rin asked.

Eustoma smiled and put his hands on Matsuri's shoulders firmly.

"This one'll be staying with you guys." He said.

Matsuri's face suddenly turned bright red. "Y-y-y-y-your majesty, I couldn't possibly-"

Eustoma quickly cut him off. "You're one of the best we've got and for the time being Sia isn't their target, Rin-dono is. As far as I'm concerned his safety is just as important as my daughter's. Besides, they're both in the same class at Verbena so it'll be easy for you to watch them both while at school."

"B-b-but sire, surely Rin-dono and Kaede-san don't have the room for another boarder at their home!" Matsuri protested.

"It'd really be no problem." Kaede said sweetly. "Our house is bigger than it looks and we have people over visiting all the time. Besides, with my father away on business currently we have the space."

"Or you could just share my room, Matsuri." Rin replied. "I don't have any problem sharing my room with another guy."

Eustoma immediately burst out laughing as Matsui's entire face turned red. Rin just looked puzzled at Kaede until Eustoma regained some composure.

"Um…am I missing something?" Rin asked.

"Oh nothing, nothing at all." Eustoma said, catching his breath. "Just that you'd probably be making a lot of lovely ladies rather jealous if you ended up sharing your room with Matsuri."

"Sire, please, I beg you to reconsider this course of action…" Matsuri said meekly.

Eustoma looked at Matsuri, still smiling. "Don't make me turn it into an order, Matsuri. This is for the best. You go gather as much of your stuff as you think you'll need."

"I'd better get back home and start making preparations. Please come back with Matsuri when you're ready, Rin." Kaede said.

"I'll go with Kaede and help, okay dad?" Sia said. Eustoma nodded with a smile as he ushered a sullen Matsuri through a door. He then turned back to face Rin, an unusually serious look on his face.

"Be especially careful now, Rin-dono." He said. "Not just for your sake, but everyone around you. There's no telling what these people are capable of doing, and if last time is any indicator we won't have much advance notice of if or when something will happen."

Rin merely nodded as Eustoma slid the door closed behind him, turning his thoughts to what he could possibly do to defend himself, Kaede and everyone he knew against an enemy that would not just be able to be talked down.

* * *

Having finished his morning routine, Rin trudged his way downstairs towards the kitchen still in a bit of a daze from waking up. He turned a corner and all but walked right into Matsuri, who was fully dressed and alert for the day. Clearly having a third person in the house would take some getting used to.

"Good, you're awake." Matsuri said, sounding somewhat relieved. "Kaede-dono had to finish her own preparations for the day and asked me to make sure you were up and about. I'm glad you didn't need to be woken again."

"You sure are sensitive about being around other guys, you know?" Rin noted as he continued towards the kitchen.

Matsuri followed close behind, seeking to clarify his behavior. "Only you, Rin-dono, on account of the position you hold as Her Majesty Princess Lisianthus' betrothed. It would be unseemly for me to be so familiar with one who would one day be my Lord and Master."

Rin sighed audibly as he sat at the kitchen table where breakfast sat waiting. "I'm not even sure I'm all that interested in Sia, nevermind being a king. All I am interested in right now is breakfast so let's just sit down and eat, 'kay?"

"I couldn't possibly be seated at the same table as-"

"I'm not royalty yet, Matsuri, so for crying out loud sit down already."

For a moment, Matsuri considered ignoring the request as it meant a significant breach in protocol, but for the sake of not aggravating Rin further he complied and sat down across from him.

"I'm sorry if I'm agitated, Matsuri." Rin said apologetically. "I'm still on edge because of this whole business about me and everyone I know being threatened."

Matsuri relaxed a little and nodded at him. "I can appreciate that. Not to mention that I imagine your life has been rather chaotic as of late what with being betrothed to two otherworldly princesses at the same time."

"That's putting it mildly. I can't imagine how Kaede feels about it."

"You're concerned for her? Am I to take it, then, that you two are…"

"Huh? Oh, no no no. Kaede and I have lived together a long time, but we're not lovers or anything like that. Far from it."

"I see. And since you mentioned earlier that you weren't interested in her majesty then that must mean you have chosen Lady Nerine?"

Rin sighed once again, exasperatedly this time. "I haven't chosen anyone, Matsuri. Not Sia, not Kaede and not Nerine either. It's not that simple, at least to me it isn't."

"I understand. I do apologize for my questioning, I was…merely curious is all." Matsuri replied.

"So how's this going to work?" Rin asked, seeking to change the topic of conversation as he began eating. "Please tell me you won't be following me around all day at school now."

"I doubt I could do that anyway as I have classes and obligations of my own to attend. You do still have the ring I gave you, though, right?"

Rin fished in his pants pocket while chewing a mouthful of rice and produced the ring again to show to Matsuri, who nodded approvingly.

"So long as you have that on, I'll be not more than a thought away. If something alarming should come up you can use that to communicate with me. I will come to your aid with all due speed."

Rin swallowed hard at the suggestion. "I have to wear it? People are going to get really suspicious if I suddenly start wearing a ring around school."

"I suppose you could put it on only when you need to contact me, though I would recommend against that personally."

"I think I'll take my chances, thanks. I'd rather not get mauled by all of the 'Special Defense Forces' around school simultaneously because I'm wearing a ring. So which class are you in at Verbena? I don't think I've seen you around before."

"That's not surprising. I am a third-year student, after all."

"Oh. I, uh, suppose I should have been calling you Matsuri-senpai then?"

Matsuri shook his head immediately at the idea. "That would be far too awkward for me, Rin-dono. Please continue referring to me as you have been. In truth I prefer it that way."

Rin shrugged and continued eating, letting the conversation simply die off at that point. Clearly Matsuri had a strong sense of propriety, no doubt stemming from his service to Sia's family. Rin wondered if he'd ever be on good enough terms with the enigmatic young man to be able to speak plainly with him, but drowned the notion out as he figured he first needed to sort out his romantic life before he could try making more casual friends.


	3. Blown Cover

It had been one of the roughest, most awkward weeks Rin had experienced since entering Verbena.

Every time he'd turned around, someone was demanding his attention. If it wasn't Mayumi coercing him into walking Nerine out to take out the trash it was Sia insisting they share an umbrella as they walked home in the rain or Asa inviting him over for cookies – an incident that ended with Rin getting an inadvertent eyeful when he'd accidentally walked in on her in the bathroom. And then there was the matter of Primula, the enigmatic young girl from the Demon Realm who literally came out of nowhere just to seek him out. Now she, too, was living under the same roof as he and Kaede.

To top the whole mess off, there was Matsuri. Rin had resolved to put the ring on a few times a day to check in with him. Apparently, that hadn't been enough for Matsuri's reassurance and he'd taken to checking in on Rin in person at odd times. Sometimes it was over lunch. Sometimes it was between classes. A couple of times it was during class, which met with quite a bit of scorn from Ms. Benibara. Matsuri had even once blocked him from going into the restroom, insisting on a status update before Rin was allowed to go in. It may have only been a week but it had become utterly exhausting, not to mention maddening.

"Maybe you should turn in early tonight, Rin." Kaede suggested as they sat around the TV. "You look ready to pass out where you sit."

Rin rolled his head over to look at her. "You mean I can't just fall asleep here?"

Kaede stifled a giggle and shook her head at him. "You'll end up with a stiff neck and back, not to mention bed will be far more comfortable. Please do go at least rest or something, Rin."

Grumbling, Rin willed himself to his feet and trudged up the stairs. He stopped at the top and looked down towards the bathroom. Matsuri had taken leave of them earlier to take his bath for the night, but Rin couldn't remember if he'd heard him finish up or not. The more he thought about it, the more a good, hot bath sounded like the way to end the day. Even if Matsuri was still in there, it would just be two guys in the bath at the same time and there was nothing strange about that.

Moments later, Rin had his towel and was starting to undress just outside the bathroom. He quietly listened at the door as he disrobed and heard some water splashing inside.

'I guess Matsuri is into long baths.' He thought. 'Well, he'll just have to get over himself. I'm not gonna wait around just because he's got a thing about doing stuff with other guys.'

Having finished stripping down, Rin grabbed his towel again and stepped towards the door.

"Hey Matsuri, I'm coming in." he said, sliding the door open. "Hope you don't mind a little…"

Time froze, or at least it seemed to as Rin stopped in the doorway to the bath. Matsuri was indeed still inside and had just been rising out of the tub but stopped as Rin made his entrance. However, any illusion Rin had held of Matsuri being a "guy with a thing about doing stuff with other guys" had been shattered since it was painfully clear that Matsuri was, in fact, a rather attractive and nicely proportioned young woman.

The last thing Rin remembered was an ear-piercing scream and a bottle of shampoo streaking at his face, then everything went black.

When Rin came to again, he was first greeted by Primula's face which was hovering only a foot above his. The emotionless girl's placid face looked at him, as if analyzing his every breath.

"Rin…you're awake." She noted in monotone.

"Yeah…I guess." Rin said, now also noticing the cold, damp cloth over his forehead. "How long was I out?"

"Forty-two minutes, thirteen seconds." Primula stated.

Rin nodded and slid himself upright, catching the washcloth as it dropped off of his forehead. He looked around and saw he was back down in the living room. He also noticed that he was clothed from the waist down again and idly wondered who'd done that job, though he figured Kaede was responsible.

"Rin, thank goodness you've come around!" Kaede said, rushing to his side as she entered the room. "We were terribly worried after we heard the commotion upstairs! How are you feeling?"

Rin nodded to her. "I'm fine. Thanks for the cold washcloth, Kaede. And for getting me dressed again."

"Um…I did put the washcloth on your head, but I didn't dress you Rin. That was…"

Kaede looked back over her shoulder towards the doorway into the living room. Rin followed her gaze and saw Matsuri apprehensively looking into the room from around the corner. She sighed heavily and entered the room, dressed in a simple white blouse and khaki pants with a black hair band holding her hair back behind her pointed ears.

"I'm relieved to see that I didn't do any permanent damage to you, Rin-dono." She said timidly.

"Matsuri…I really don't know where to begin. I honestly thought…I mean, you always dressed like…and you never said or did anything to suggest…"

"You confused me for being a young man." Matsuri said for him, sounding downcast about the fact. "Rest assured you are not the first one to make that mistake."

"I didn't even know, until I ran upstairs to see what had happened." Kaede told him.

Matsuri's face darkened even more. "I am not surprised that you both did not realize it. Femininity is something I have struggled with all of my life."

'I find that hard to believe.' Rin thought, allowing himself a moment to recall the image of her in the bathroom. He roughly estimated her to at least have similar proportions to Asa, maybe even better if that were possible.

Rin stood up and stepped over towards Matsuri, who began blushing wildly. He was, after all, still half-naked and she also had vivid memories of the incident.

"Even so, I need to apologize for just barging in on you like that." He told her.

"There is no need for-"

"Not knowing doesn't excuse that I didn't give you your space. It was disrespectful of me." Rin said, interrupting her. He then bowed deeply. "I'm really sorry, Matsuri."

Matsuri was bewildered. There was no time in recent memory she could recall anyone apologizing to her for anything. If anything, she was typically the one apologizing, either for her own mistakes or others'.

"Matsuri, he's just like this." Kaede told her in an assuring tone. "If you don't accept it, we'll be here all night."

"…very well." Matsuri said reluctantly. "I appreciate and accept your apology, Rin-dono. But in return, please allow me to apologize as well for not having been fully truthful with you."

Rin looked at her skeptically after standing back up. "For not telling us something we probably should have figured out?"

Matsuri shook her head at him. "No…for not telling you my full name."

"I thought Gods and Demons only had one name, like Sia and Nerine?" Kaede asked.

Matsuri nodded to her, fidgeting a little as she walked and talked. "That's right. But I am not a pureblood God. My mother was human. She was swept away to the Realm of the Gods a long time ago, though she never understood how or why. There she met my father, fell in love with him, got married and started a family. I have one older sister, and she too has two names: a human name and a God-race name."

"Like Mayumi in our class." Rin noted. "So…what is your name, then?"

Matsuri stopped pacing and looked at Rin as she spoke. "Ruri. Ruri=Matsuri is my full name. Matsuri is my God-race name, but I only use it in professional settings. Among my family and friends, I am just Ruri."

"That is a lovely name, isn't it Rin?" Kaede said, sounding positively delighted.

Rin nodded in agreement. "It is very nice. Well, hopefully we can avoid any future incidents now, Ruri."

"It is really more proper for you to continue to call me Matsuri, Rin-dono, as I am here under orders from His Majesty." Ruri said, protesting the sudden change.

"You said your friends and family call you Ruri, and I'm sure I speak for Kaede when I say we certainly consider you a friend. Right Kaede?"

"Absolutely." Kaede replied quickly. "You protected us when Sia was attacked and you're here now doing the same. If that doesn't make you a friend of ours, I don't know what would."

Ruri was stunned for a moment, but finally relaxed and smiled warmly at both of them. "Thank you, Rin-dono…Kaede-dono. I am…unaccustomed to such geniality from my charges."

"Maybe it's the start of an all new kind of relationship for you, Ruri." Rin replied, smiling back. "Now if you ladies will excuse me, I'm going to take that bath and go to bed. For real this time."

"Of course. Good night, Rin." Kaede said as she saw to tidying up the living room a bit.

Ruri merely nodded to Rin as he stepped past her, but watched after him as he disappeared up the stairs.

'A new kind of relationship?' she thought. 'I think I might like that, Rin-dono…if it were at all possible.'


	4. Food for Thought

'This whole entourage business is getting way out of hand.' Rin thought as he tried not to pay too much attention to the banal conversation going on around him. He was flanked on either side by Sia and Kaede with Nerine but two steps behind him and they had been going on and on about things he had no interest in whatsoever since leaving the house. Normally, he would simply look straight ahead and enjoy the scenery as they walked to help him disconnect from their talking, but now that spot was taken as well.

Ruri walked a few steps ahead of the group, her eyes constantly darting back and forth to ensure their commute to school was free of incident. Rin wouldn't have minded so much were she in the Verbena girls' uniform, but she had insisted on continuing to wear the boys' uniform. To say it was unsettling for Rin was a gross understatement.

"Hey Matsuri?" Sia called out, breaking off her talk with Kaede. "I've been meaning to ask, but why haven't you come to join us for lunch on the roof yet?"

"Your majesty, it would be improper for a mere guard such as myself to take in a meal with royalty." Ruri replied mechanically. "Plus, I must devote my attention utterly to ensuring you, Rin-dono and everyone else remains safe in the event of another attack. A leisurely lunch is a luxury I cannot afford."

"But we've got Rin-chan with us up there, you know." Sia told her, pointing her thumb at Nerine. "And her magic is nothing to sneeze at."

"Sia, please…my magic isn't all that potent." Nerine said sheepishly.

"You took out the gymnasium last week when you attacked those two guys while we were taking the trash out, remember?" Rin pointed out. "I'd call that plenty potent to take care of any threat that might pop up at school."

Nerine shrank back a bit, the event still very fresh in her mind. "Mother was quite cross with me for that…"

"Anyway, my point is we've got defense covered even if something did happen." Sia said, jogging to catch up to Ruri. "Plus I'm betting you're not the only guard my dad's got lurking around school."

"Even so, it would still be wholly improper for me to dine with a member of the royal family." Ruri said, fumbling for a viable reason to refuse the offer.

"Matsuri…" Sia said, now sounding annoyed. She ran ahead of Ruri, whirled to face her and stopped in her tracks, her arms akimbo. "Do I have to make it an order for you to do it? And don't think I won't; you of all people should know better than that."

Ruri cringed for a brief moment at the inference, which caught Rin's curiosity.

"What's that all about?" he asked Sia with a cocked eyebrow.

A devilish smile crossed Sia's lips as she eyed Ruri and Rin alternately. "Shall I tell him about it, Matsuri? Or will you just come enjoy lunch with us?"

In a rare moment of distress, Ruri could feel the sweat beading on her brow as she weighed her options: Acquiesce to Sia's request to eat lunch with them, or risk humiliation from Sia telling them all about one of her more embarrassing moments as her personal bodyguard. Were it not for Rin's presence, she might have endured whatever teasing she would get from the story.

"V-very well, highness." Ruri said, sighing deeply. "If it is your wish that I have lunch with you all today, I will comply."

"And from now on, too." Sia added. Ruri was about to protest again, but the look in Sia's eyes was far too impish. She nodded, hanging her head in shame as Sia celebrated her victory.

Rin jogged up alongside Ruri as Sia went back to talking to Nerine and Kaede.

"What's Sia got on you that's so embarrassing?" he asked her quietly.

Ruri cast her eyes back at Sia quickly and then leaned closer to Rin, speaking in a hushed tone. "Let's simply leave it at the fact that for a long while her majesty not only fancied the idea of having her own bodyguard but also that she could make me do whatever she pleased."

Rin shivered at the notion. "That bad, huh?"

Ruri nodded vigorously at him. "For what it's worth, I did receive a commendation for showing poise in the line of duty. Still, it isn't a part of my service to the royal family I'm particularly fond or proud of and I would much rather leave it in my past."

"Understood." Rin said. "I can promise you'll never hear me asking you to share that kind of story then."

Ruri smiled warmly back at him. "Thank you, Rin-dono. It is comforting to know you respect my wishes on this matter. Still, this change will throw a wrench into my usual schedule at school. I'll have to tell Kareha that I won't be meeting her for lunch anymore."

"You're familiar with Kareha-senpai?" Rin asked, sounding surprised. Ruri nodded in response to his question.

"We've been friends since we were little. Her parents and mine are longtime friends so it followed we became the same. Unfortunately since last year I haven't been able to spend much time with her at school. She got involved in the cooking club with Asa and I as well became involved in other things."

"Your guard duties?"

"There is that, yes, but there is also my duty to the school as well."

"Duty to the school?"

Ruri looked at him quizzically at his last question. "You must not pay much attention to school events and matters."

"I'm a pretty distracted guy these days." Rin commented.

"I suppose. Still, it's hard for me to imagine someone doesn't know their Student Council President when they see them."

"Whoa! Wait a sec…you're the Student Council President?!"

"Last year and this year as well, yes."

"How do you have any time for things you like to do between all that work?"

Ruri's face darkened. "I don't. I'm not meant to have what you and others would consider a normal life, Rin-dono. My family has been in servitude to the royal family for generations. My family would be shamed if someone didn't carry on the tradition."

Rin couldn't help but detect a little bitterness in Ruri's voice as she spoke of her duty, but decided it was best to not press any further on the matter for now. Clearly it was something she felt strongly about and he wanted to respect her right to privacy. Whatever the case, Ruri was resolute about what she did and he doubted anything he could say would sway her from her chosen life, at least for now.

"Well, Kareha is welcome to join us for lunch as well, so you shouldn't have to give that up." Rin said, backtracking the conversation to something less serious. "The more the merrier as far as we're all concerned."

"Are you sure her majesty and the others wouldn't mind, Rin-dono?" Ruri asked, sounding hopeful.

Rin smiled brightly back at her. "I doubt Sia invited you to lunch with us to make you miserable, Ruri. Besides, two things always make food taste better: nice weather and friends."

Ruri fell silent and remained that way for the rest of the walk to school. She had been assigned a number of guard duties in the past, but they had all been perfectly professional situations. Her charges had never given a single thought to her whatsoever, yet now here was this young man who seemed to be positively concerned for her wants. It was causing some curious feelings to well up inside of her that went beyond mere appreciation. As they continued to walk to school, she began to wonder if this was what was so special about Rin that had made so many girls fond of him, and if perhaps she was on her way to joining their ranks.

* * *

"Now this is the way to have lunch!" Asa announced as she opened her bento and tore into her food. Inviting Kareha had, by necessity, involved inviting Asa to lunch as well and now the lunch group had become rather sizeable, drawing stares from other students who found it to be quite the spectacle. Ruri was doing her best to relax and enjoy her lunch, though her sense of duty also had her keeping tabs on everyone whose eyes strayed towards them.

"It certainly is a welcome change from the drabness of the cafeteria." Kareha added. "Though this is quite the large crowd now, isn't it?"

"Too large if you ask me." Ruri said, taking a quick bite of her sandwich before returning to her scanning of the roof.

"Ruri, you should at least finish your lunch first before going all serious again." Kareha told her. "You'll give yourself an upset stomach at this rate."

Ruri shook her head as she wolfed down the remainder of her sandwich in one massive bite. "Her majesty didn't consider that such a large group would draw so much attention. This makes the job of protecting Rin-dono that much harder."

Kareha tilted her head a bit, looking at her friend curiously. "Protecting Rin? I thought you'd been assigned to Sia-sama?"

"Well I am still protecting her, of course, but-"

Ruri was cut off as Kareha grabbed her by the shoulders. She groaned inwardly, seeing that all-too-familiar look in her longtime friend's eyes.

"Could it be that you've finally found that special someone who'll melt the ice that has encased your heart for so long?" Kareha asked demandingly.

"I-I-It's nothing like that!" Ruri asserted. "His majesty ordered me to go live with Rin-dono since he and his friends are being threatened now."

Kareha slowly let go of Ruri's shoulders as her eyes lit up even more. "And you're already living under the same roof as him…so it's only a matter of time until…until…maa maa maaaaaa!!!"

"And there she goes again." Asa commented. "Of anyone, you should've known better than to say anything about that whole mess to her, Ruri."

"I have a feeling she would've gone off the deep end even I hadn't said anything."

Asa nodded as she shifted closer to Ruri so as to let Kareha explore her fantasy realm in peace. "True, this is Kareha we're talking about after all. So how's it been living with and protecting Rin? Uneventful, I hope."

Ruri decided to omit the bathroom incident, not wanting to feed Kareha's fantasy any further. "For the most part. Rin-dono certainly is different from any charge I've ever had before."

Ruri took a moment to look over at Rin as she spoke. Rin was trying his best to enjoy his lunch, though he was beset on all sides by friends and would-be lovers vying for his attention. "He's actually made efforts to make me feel more at home there, and he seems to genuinely respect me and what I do. So often I've guarded people who treated me like a weapon rather than as a person that it's been a bit awkward for me to actually guard someone so…so…"

"Cute?" Asa asked impishly.

"Yeah…" Ruri said absently. "Er, wait! I didn't mean-"

Asa couldn't help but laugh. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about, girl! You're seriously not the only one who finds him cute, trust me."

"That's not the point, Asa." Ruri grumbled.

"Then what is? You can talk to me, Ruri. I may not have known you as long as Kareha, but we are still friends."

Ruri glanced over at the group of girls around Rin and then turned back to face Asa again, wishing for the resolve to talk about something so embarrassing.

"The problem is…there's no chance. He's being courted by two princesses, one of whom is my future queen. I couldn't possibly compare to either of them, not to mention that Her Majesty could simply order me gone on a whim."

Asa nodded, understanding where Ruri was coming from. "I think if Sia were worried about you as competition for Rin she wouldn't have invited you up here. As for the rest of your concern, all I'll say is look at Kaede."

Ruri complied and looked over at her as Asa continued talking. "She knows what she's up against in Sia and Nerine, but clearly she hasn't given up. She knows that Rin isn't going to make a decision like who he decides to date based on power or prestige or any of that nonsense. He's not that kind of guy, though you've kind of already found that out yourself."

"Even so, what could I possibly offer him that they can't? They're all beautiful, graceful and above all absolutely feminine. There's nothing remotely appealing about me."

"Ugh. This again." Asa said, sounding a bit disgusted. "You're way too hard on yourself, you know? Stop judging your worth as a woman by others, especially your sister. If Rin takes an interest in someone it's not going to be because they can cook or look pretty in a dress or anything as trivial as that. It'll be for who they are and not what they can or can't do. He's not like his friend Itsuki. Rin is probably the least superficial guy in this school."

Asa's words weren't falling on deaf ears, as Ruri found herself thinking hard on them while she watched Rin and the others talking and enjoying each other's company over lunch. She certainly couldn't deny being a little attracted to him, especially since she'd been living with him for over a week now. For a brief moment, she saw him make eye contact with her. He smiled, though she could tell he wanted to say something to the effect of, "Please get me out of here." Before she could do or say anything, though, Kareha came out of her reverie.

"I think you really should give yourself a chance, Ruri." Kareha told her as she caught up on her own lunch. "Besides, we Gods do practice polygamy so it's not out of the question."

Both Ruri and Asa laughed nervously at the suggestion. Ruri was certainly familiar with the custom, but it wasn't one that totally sat right with her. She figured it was her mother's influence in her, since her mother had managed to keep her father entirely to herself. Ruri shook the idea off. It may be normal in their home realm, it wasn't the standard practice here and she wasn't about to suggest such a thing just for the sake of attempting a relationship with him. Asa was right; If Rin were to take an interest in her it would be for who she was. Nonetheless, as lunch continued and concluded she still had a hard time seeing how he could ever be attracted to someone as unfeminine as her.


	5. Who I Am, part 1

A direr situation could not have presented itself. Ruri and Rin were both speechless as they stood wondering what move to make next. Something had to be done and quickly, or there would be severe consequences. Finally, Rin made a move.

"I guess I'll call for takeout." He said, heading for the phone.

"But Kaede-dono will be terribly disappointed in us!" Ruri protested.

Kaede had come down with a fever that morning, and by the time Rin and Ruri had gotten home it hadn't come down much. With her bedridden, dinner was an absolute mystery.

"If it were just me I'd try to make something, but I'm not much of a cook." Rin replied. "I'd rather not have to call for takeout but I don't know what else to do."

"Well…I suppose I could try to make something…" Ruri said hesitantly. "If you don't think Kaede-dono would mind me using her kitchen, that is."

"It's your call, Ruri, though I will say I'd be curious to try something made by you."

"Really?"

"Sure. Why not?"

Ruri felt a rare swell of pride at the request. "O-okay! Leave it to me, then."

Rin nodded and had a seat at the TV with Primula while Ruri set to work. The kitchen was quickly filled with the din of pots and pans clanging, punctuated with chopping and frying sounds here and there. About half an hour later, Rin and Ruri sat at the table, each with a plate of rice and vegetables in some manner of sauce.

"I've seen my mother make curry many times, so I figured that would be a good thing to try." Ruri said as she took her chopsticks in hand.

"Try? You mean you've never cooked this before?" Rin asked, doing likewise.

Ruri shook her head at him. "I've never cooked before at all, but how hard could it be really?"

Rin shrugged and prepared to dig in. It was curry, after all, and it was pretty hard to screw up curry. Both of them grabbed a piece of the food in front of them and popped it into their mouth. Silence fell over the table. Then, simultaneously, both of them put their chopsticks down carefully. They looked across the table at each other.

"Now that I think of it, I'm much more in the mood for a pizza." Ruri said quickly.

"I'll make the call." Rin added as he quickly left the table for the phone.

Another half-hour later, hot pizza was on the table and the remnants of Ruri's "curry" had been properly disposed of. Rin ate heartily, though he could tell from how little she'd eaten that Ruri was still stewing over her failed attempt at cooking.

"Kaede didn't become a great cook instantaneously, you know." He told her. "I remember some of her disasters when she was first taking over the cooking for her mother. Her father and I suffered in silence for quite some time until she got her feet under herself."

"I appreciate what you're trying to do, Rin-dono, but this isn't the first time I've failed at something I should be able to do." Ruri replied flatly, dropping her half-eaten slice of pizza on her plate. "It's enough to make me wonder why I even try."

"So you can't cook, big deal. Neither can I, so that puts us in the same boat."

"If we were in the same boat, Rin-dono, and one of us had to cook in order to survive we'd both die of either hunger or poisoning." Ruri said bitterly.

Rin honestly laughed at the comment, drawing a curious look from Ruri.

"Sorry, I know you didn't mean that to be funny but it really was." Rin said as he regained his composure. "Why are you so severe about this with yourself, though?"

"I've told you some about my family before, right?" Ruri asked, to which Rin nodded. "I have an older sister and a younger brother. I grew up admiring my sister greatly. She's stunningly beautiful, graceful, cultured…to me she's the pinnacle of what a woman should be. It's something I could never be, at least not anymore."

"I don't follow." Rin said, leaning forward with his elbows on the table.

"My father is a high-ranked and rather well-respected member of His Majesty King Eustoma's security force. For generations, his family has had that role in the Realm of Gods and there were always sons to take up the tradition for their fathers. At least, until now. My father, for reasons unknown to me, never took to training my younger brother in the ways of combat and the military. I asked about it a few times but my parents always told me not to concern myself with it. The problem is, they're long since done having children and without another boy to inherit the family legacy it would be the end of hundreds of years of service and duty to the royal family."

Rin sat back, putting his own food down. "Now it all makes sense. You decided to give up everything you thought being a girl was about so you could take over the family's legacy, didn't you?"

Ruri nodded silently, folding her arms as she sat back in her chair. "At first my father dismissed it as a tomboyish phase, but when I passed the guard examination at age thirteen he knew I was serious about it. He began training me properly at that point in our family's sacred style of swordplay. By the time I entered high school he deemed me his equal in swordplay. I was proud beyond words."

"It must have been quite an honor to get that kind of praise from him." Rin bit his lip a bit after he spoke; only remotely remembering that kind of feeling from his own long-dead father.

"And then reality hit me. My sister got engaged and was married to a man from the Realm of Gods. I was incredibly happy for her, but…I wasn't invited to be one of her bridesmaids. My mother tried to convince me it was because my sister had already filled all the bridesmaid positions with her close friends, but I know my sister. She may love me, but she doesn't approve of what I do or what I've become. This was her way of showing me what I'd given up for the sake of continuing the family legacy.

"She's right, though. I'm not feminine at all. I threw that side of myself away since there's no room for such softness in the military. I've tried time and again to simply lose myself in my duties or in school work so I wouldn't have to think about it anymore, but in the end I am still a teenage girl. I get the same urges and desires as any other girl my age. I just don't get to indulge in them because I haven't the first idea how."

Rin sat speechless, absorbing Ruri's full story. Ruri also remained silent for a moment before her usual self-conscious nature realized what all she'd just told him.

"I'm terribly sorry, Rin-dono. I didn't mean to burden you with my problems." She said apologetically.

"It's not…" Rin started to say. He caught himself and corrected his words. "You're not a burden, Ruri. So please, don't think you have to apologize for telling me all that. If anything I'm honored you trust me so much that you'd share such a story with me.

"But even if you aren't all girly like your sister, so what? Do you even think you'd like doing those kind of things? Do you think you ever did even before you made your decision to join the military? These days, as I'm to understand it from Asa-senpai, doing girly things doesn't make you any more feminine than standing in a garage makes me a car."

Ruri stifled a laugh at the euphemism, but listened intently as Rin went on.

"There are plenty of girls out there who put on a real good show of being incredibly feminine in order to catch a guy or to impress others, but in reality they're simply shallow people who're out for themselves. The same goes for guys, trust me. Those kinds of people aren't worth paying attention to, much less befriending or using as an example for others to follow or an idol to inspire others to be like them. But people like you who are nothing if not genuine about what they believe in and who've made sacrifices for the sake of the people they love…people like you are the ones who most certainly are worth knowing and calling your friend.

"You say your sister left you out of her wedding to teach you a lesson, but I think she's the one who could stand to learn from you. If anything, she missed out on having such a beautiful person as you among those helping her celebrate her wedding."

"Rin-dono…" was all Ruri could manage to say. She'd gotten pep talks from Kareha or Asa on the matter, but Rin's words seemed to make more sense than any other advice she'd been given. She took a moment to commit it all to memory and then sat up again, smiling warmly at him.

"I've never had anyone tell me anything like that before." She told him. "Thank you, Rin-dono. It means more than I can say."

"Actually, if you want to thank me there is something you could do for me." Rin said, also sitting back up straight. "I've been trying to find a time to ask this of you, and I guess now's as good as any."

"If it's within my power to do I will do my best."

"Do you suppose you could train me in swordplay?"

Ruri dropped her pizza again, this time out of surprise rather than lack of appetite.

"I know your family's style is probably special and secret, but all I want is to know how to properly defend myself." Rin said, further explaining himself. "I can't stand thinking that I can't do anything to help protect my loved ones, not to mention that I'm the one who put them all in danger. I understand that I need protection and I'm not trying to do your job for you, but at the same time I can't just sit by and not be able to do anything if something were to actually happen to someone I care about."

"While I understand and fully appreciate your sentiment, Rin-dono, where would we practice?" Ruri asked. "Your house is big, but far from spacious enough for proper training exercises."

"There's a small park nearby that might work. It's pretty big and usually quiet, and it's not all that close to any other homes so I doubt we'd be bothering anyone."

Ruri stroked her chin thoughtfully. "An outdoor location would be better…not to mention it might also let us practice terrain tactics as well…plus I could certainly use the practice myself."

She nodded to herself and then looked at Rin again, smiling brightly. "Very well, then. I will train you."

"Thank you, Ruri!" Rin said enthusiastically. "This means a lot to me, really."

"We'll get started tomorrow. For now let's just relax and enjoy the remainder of the evening."

Rin nodded and got up from the table. "I think I'll go see what's on TV. Hopefully Primula's not watching more of her magical girl show."

"I'll join you as soon as I've had some more to eat." Ruri told him as he headed to the living room. She looked down at her pizza slice for a moment, recalling Rin's words to her earlier once again.

'He called me a beautiful person.' She thought as she blushed wildly. 'He thinks I'm beautiful…maybe you were right, Asa. Maybe there is hope for someone like me after all.'


	6. Who I Am, part 2

Just as Rin had said, the park was empty by the time he and Ruri arrived the following afternoon. It was a small playground full of equipment that was in various states of decay, the swings being the newest things and they were at least five years old. Ruri wandered about the playground a bit, exploring the terrain.

"This is a bit unorthodox, but it'll certainly work for our purposes." She said, examining the equipment. Rin watched her for a bit as she deftly climbed bars, walked across the seesaw, hopped across stepping stones and perched herself atop the slide in one amazing leap.

"For someone so concerned about the grace of others, you're quite graceful yourself you know." Rin said admiringly.

Ruri smirked at him as she slid down the slide and walked back over towards him. "There's a difference between me keeping my balance on an obstacle course and a refined lady carrying herself in a dignified and elegant manner."

Rin nodded at her. "True, though I did find elegance in your skill and motions just now. It's a different kind of grace, yes, but it still qualifies in my book."

"We'll see if you still want to heap praise on me after today's training session."

Ruri tossed something that looked like a sword hilt to Rin, which he caught and looked over curiously.

"What is this?" he asked, examining the hilt carefully.

"These are practice versions of the blades used by royal guards of the Realm of Gods." Ruri explained. "Trained guards channel magical energy into it and focus the energy into a blade that extends forth from the hilt. No two guards have a similar looking blade, as everyone has a different aptitude for magic and a different strength of will. Since these are practice versions, when I make contact with you it will merely give you a small shock like static electricity."

"And what if I make contact with you?" Rin asked. Ruri looked at him skeptically, to which Rin nodded in acknowledgment. "Right. Newbie versus a trained, elite guard. My chances of actually hitting you are similar to a snowball's chances in Hell."

"There's always beginner's luck, but you get the idea. First things first, you need to create your blade."

"How am I going to do that? Humans aren't supposed to be capable of using magic."

"Nor are half-breed god-humans. However…"

Ruri closed her eyes and exhaled, focusing on her sword hilt. A double-edged blade of pink energy about two and a half feet long extended from it and hummed as it shone in the dying light of the evening. She opened her eyes and held the sword up for Rin to see.

"We can use magical foci, such as this hilt, to enable ourselves to use magic to some degree." She explained. "The focus itself summons and maintains the energy, all you have to do is apply your force of will to make it work"

"If that's the case, why don't more people make use of them?" Rin asked.

"The magic produced by foci is nowhere near as powerful as that which a true Magic User can use. What's more, foci are very limited. Most of them can only replicate one spell, though some can do more than one. So though they may let us use magic, they are not a replacement for a true Magic User."

"That ring you gave me before, that's a focus isn't it?"

"You catch on quickly. Yes, that ring is a Telepathy Focus. It's one of a pair of such rings that are limited to only work between the people who wear them."

Ruri shifted her training blade to her left hand and held up her right hand, showing an identical ring to the one she'd given Rin on her right ring finger.

"Anyway, when you're ready just focus your will into the sword hilt and we'll see what kind of sword you make."

"Easy for you to say, how do I even do that?"

"Think back to what you told me last night about why you want to do this." She told him as he closed his eyes. "Recall that feeling…that desire to protect your loved ones. Then let that feeling flow from your heart to your hands."

It only took a few seconds and a burst of energy erupted from the hilt, forming into a three-foot long, light green katana blade. Ruri's eyes widened at the sudden and dramatic result.

"Hey, I did it!" Rin said triumphantly.

"Indeed." Ruri said, still stunned. "What's more, it's rare for a beginner to be able to form such a strong blade so quickly. Are you certain you've never had any combat training before, Rin-dono?"

"None whatsoever."

It made little sense to Ruri at all that someone with this much potential had gone unnoticed for so long. If Rin was capable of something like this naturally, with just a little training he would be a real force to be reckoned with even to a seasoned guard such as herself. She allowed herself to smile inwardly, knowing that now she would have the chance to bring out such immense innate talent.

Training began in earnest, with the day's light dying quickly now. Ruri drilled him on the most basic things: proper holding of the sword, how to swing and how to block. She had him running laps all around the park, going over, under and through much of the equipment as he went. They finished the day's session with a brief sparring match where Ruri was amazed at how much Rin had learned in such a short time. As she'd thought at the outset, he was possessed of an incredible natural ability that she'd only begun to bring out.

Rin leaned against the seesaw as the last light of day was disappearing beyond the horizon, breathless and sweat dripping from him.

"Well…that was a bit more rigorous than I anticipated." He said while gulping down breaths of air.

"You're the one who wanted to learn how to defend yourself." Ruri said, approaching the other side of the seesaw. "I never said I'd go easy on you."

"No, I certainly didn't expect special treatment or anything. And I appreciate that, Ruri. I'll do whatever it takes to be ready for if something happens again."

"It's not an 'if', Rin-dono. It's 'when'. They will come for you, it's just a matter of time."

Rin nodded as he walked back down to the end of the seesaw. "Right. Well, until then I will keep training as long as you don't mind teaching me."

"It will be my honor." Ruri replied with a smile.

"And also until then I will still try to live a normal life and have some fun." Rin said as he straddled his end of the seesaw. He picked up his end, leveling the plank out, and looked expectantly at her.

"Rin-dono, this is a child's playground toy." Ruri said, sounding a bit embarrassed.

"And most adults would contend we're still kids. And kids are supposed to have fun."

Ruri fidgeted, looking back and forth as she tried to stall while attempting to think of a viable reason not to sit down. After a couple of minutes, which included her looking at Rin who was still looking at her expectantly, she finally sat down and the two began to seesaw.

"I haven't done this in years." She said after a few turns. "My little brother has been too old to want to play on playgrounds for a long time."

"And I'll bet you don't get much free time to relax or play these days, do you?" Rin asked.

"The word 'play' isn't in my daily set of usable words anymore. Actually, until I was assigned to watch you even the concept of casual conversation was slowly becoming foreign to me."

"People our age are too young to be turning into workaholics, Ruri. You should try to find some way to relax or enjoy yourself."

"Sleeping is about the only relaxation time I can afford right now."

"That's not true. I mean, we're here riding on a seesaw. This is fun, right?"

Ruri laughed nervously at the notion. "It's embarrassing is what it is."

"Why? No one else is here to see us, so what's it matter? You're way too hung up on impressions and appearances."

"So I should be more like you and simply not care? I doubt His Majesty or the princess would appreciate such an attitude from one of their guards."

"True, though I gotta admit I'd love to see the look on Shin-ouji's face if you told him where he could stick his orders."

Ruri smirked at the thought. "I have to admit, I've heard him get chewed out by one or more of the queens on occasion."

"Oh that must be a treat."

"Yes, but then there was the time that he ate Queen Ailis' dessert. It was all I could do to contain myself as he was chased continuously around the palace by all three of his wives and the princess as well!"

Rin couldn't help but laugh at the idea, and in spite of her training Ruri found herself bursting out laughing as she remembered the scene. They slowed the seesaw down as they tried to regain their composure from laughing so much.

"See? Your senses of humor and fun are still well and alive." Rin said, still winded from laughing. "You shouldn't be afraid to let them show from time to time, you've got a great laugh and a wonderful smile."

Ruri took a bit longer to stop laughing, but was still smiling as she got off of the seesaw. "That's easier said than done, but thank you all the same Rin-dono. I appreciate having the chance to actually unwind a little."

She then blushed a bit as she stepped towards Rin, who also approached the bar separating the two sides of the seesaw. "And…I don't know how to ask this other than to just say it, but…you really like my smile?"

"Well…yeah." Rin said, also blushing at the question. "You really don't give yourself enough credit, Ruri, you're a lot prettier than you think. At least that's what I think."

The two of them stood there silently looking at each other for some time, their minds caught in a whirl of thoughts about each other as well as if they should dare say or do something else given the situation. A streetlight flickering to life nearby was what finally snapped them both out of their emotional paralysis.

"It's gotten rather late." Ruri noted. "We should return to the house before Kaede-dono worries overmuch."

Rin just nodded in response. "Knowing Kaede she'll probably have refreshments of some kind waiting for us."

They had just started walking back home when Ruri stepped a little closer to Rin and hooked her arm through his, which immediately drew Rin's attention.

"I hope you don't mind too much, with the sun having set for the day it's gotten quite chilly rather quickly and I'm susceptible to the cold." Ruri said, trying to hide how heavily she was blushing.

"Oh, I uh…yeah. I don't mind." Rin replied, which rewarded him with a further squeeze as Ruri pulled even closer to him as they walked.

'Yeah.' He thought. 'Really don't mind this at all.'


	7. The Lady, The Beach, and The Wardrobe

Rather than the laughter of children playing, the sound of crackling magical energy filled the air in the park. Rin and Ruri's sparring ranged all over the grounds, though Ruri was clearly in full control of the proceedings. She stayed in one place just long enough for Rin to catch up and trade a few more blows before she bounded off once again for him to pursue her again. A week's worth of training had passed and Rin's progress had been impressive. Ruri continued to be amazed at his natural prowess, but Rin had constantly turned the praise back on her for her teaching skill.

"I get the feeling like you're just leading me on here." Rin commented as he caught up with her again, this time by the swings.

"I wouldn't be worth the while if I were an easy catch, now would I?" she replied coyly.

"Well, I do enjoy a good challenge!" Rin said, charging in at her once again.

Their swords crossed multiple times, high and low as they danced around each other. In a rare moment of carelessness, Ruri stumbled backwards just enough for Rin to get in rather close. Ruri quickly brought her sword up to block him and suddenly the two found themselves, swords crossed, just inches away from each other. Rin felt his blood pumping, mostly from the exercise though his closeness to Ruri certainly wasn't helping to make it slow down at all. Ruri, likewise, found her heart beginning to pound insistently as she let herself draw a little closer to him. If not for her years of training and her strong sense of propriety, she might have allowed the scene to end quite nicely. Instead, she stepped back quickly, causing Rin to stumble forward slightly but not enough to make him fall over.

"Well done." She said, praising him. "You saw an opening and you took the opportunity. That means your instincts are improving."

"Yeah…thanks." Rin replied with a nod. "Though I owe it to you and your teaching, Ruri. You're really amazing. I mean, as a teacher and all."

"Even the best teacher needs great students to shine, and you have fantastic talent Rin-dono. Plus, I must admit it's nice to not have to just be your guard all the time. Not that I want to be anything special to you, of course."

Rin nodded again quickly in response. "Right, right. Well, I think we'd better get back home. I could use a good shower."

"Me too, though not at the same time mind you."

"Heh, yeah we tried that once already by accident."

The two laughed as they headed back home, continuing to chat as they walked together. They were nearing the house when they spotted Eustoma and Forbesii standing outside the front door, as if waiting for them.

"This can't be good." Rin muttered.

"We'd best see what the matter is." Ruri told him. "Perhaps more information has come regarding your would-be attackers. Heaven forbid something happened here while we were training."

"Only one way to find out." Rin said as they approached the two otherworldly rulers.

"Ah, Rin-chan. You're here." Forbesii said, looking uncharacteristically serious for once. "Hear us out."

Rin nodded silently and braced himself for whatever was coming. Forbesii put a hand forcefully on his shoulder and looked him straight in the eye.

"Shall we all go to the beach?" he asked.

"…huh?" was all Rin and Ruri could say in response.

"When one thinks of summer, the beach comes to mind." Eustoma said, looking far off to the horizon as he spoke in an impassioned voice. "When one thinks of the beach, family vacation also comes to mind! And family vacations lead to family harmony! Therefore, it's a moral imperative that we travel to the beach while the summer lasts!"

"I don't get a say in this at all, do I?" Rin asked.

"Rin-chan…!" Forbesii said, ignoring him.

"Rin-dono…!" Eustoma added, doing likewise.

"Let's go to the beach!" they cried in unison.

"All right, all right. Fine with me." Rin said, shaking his head.

"And by all means, please extend the invitation to your lovely lady friends as well. The more the merrier." Forbesii told him.

"Matsuri, you know what this means." Eustoma said, turning towards her.

Matsuri snapped to attention immediately. "Yes, sire. It will be my honor to serve by guarding you and-"

"Make sure you pack a swimsuit, those boyish clothes you always wear will be far too hot for the beach." Eustoma told her, cutting her off. "Rin-dono, we'll be in touch to make the arrangements!"

The two rulers left laughing as they planned their grand getaway. Rin scratched his head as he turned towards Ruri.

"What a pain those two are." He said. "Though it will be nice to unwind, won't it Ruri?"

Ruri stood where she was, looking utterly panicked. Rin waved a hand in front of her face trying to snap her out of it, but to no effect.

"Ruri? You okay?" He asked, gently poking her shoulder. "It's not that big a deal, it's just the beach. All you've gotta do is-"

"What am I going to do?!" she suddenly screamed. Rin almost fell over from the abruptness and force of her delayed reaction.

"I take it this is a problem for you somehow?" Rin asked as he checked his ears for whatever remaining hearing he had left.

"Rin-dono, I haven't been to the beach since…since…aaaaah! I can't even remember when the last time I went was!"

"So what? Just go pick out a swimsuit with Kaede. I'm sure she'll have fun going shopping with you. Heck, get some of the other girls to help. Kareha-sempai and Asa-sempai will gladly do it."

"There's no way I could do something like that with them. I wouldn't know where to begin to choose something proper and I'd only embarrass myself in front of them."

"Well, you need a swimsuit to go. I doubt either of them will let you get out of this."

Ruri sighed. "You're right. I suppose there's only one way to do this."

"I'm glad you've made a decision."

"We'll go this Saturday afternoon and choose an appropriate swimsuit for me for this excursion."

"Sounds like a good- wait, we?"

"Yes. I need someone's input as to what looks right or not and you are the only one whose opinion I can trust, Rin-dono."

Rin almost fell over again. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! I'm not sure mine is the opinion you want here! I mean…I'm a guy after all. And you'll be picking out a girl's swimsuit, you know. I really don't think you can get away with trunks."

"Rin-dono, please." She pleaded. "I don't have the confidence to do something so girly with a group of other girls. I need an objective opinion and you're the only one I can trust to do that."

'I really think my opinion will be far, far less objective than you think.' Rin thought as the image of Ruri in the bath once again floated through his head. Still, Ruri looked like she was adamant about wanting his help on the matter, and he found his resolve on the matter slipping away as his inner interest in seeing her in various swimsuits took over.

"All right." He said with a sigh. "If you absolutely insist then I'll help you out."

"Thank you, Rin-dono." Ruri said, sounding relieved. "I promise I will make it up to you someday."

'Though I have a feeling this service will be its own payment…' Rin thought as they headed into the house to clean up for dinner and to start letting everyone know about the pending trip plan.

* * *

Department stores weren't entirely foreign to Rin, but he certainly didn't make a habit of frequenting the ladies' sections never mind the ladies' swimwear section. He had tried a few times before the store trip to convince Ruri to at least let Kaede come along as well, but his pleas fell on deaf ears. Ruri was adamant that he and only he be the one to assist her. He somewhat wondered if there was any ulterior motive to her choice, though he quickly reminded himself that she was nothing like any of the other girls who had been clamoring for his attention over the past several weeks.

Ruri looked over the racks of swimwear with a mixture of skepticism and horror. "It's a wonder people bother wearing anything to the pool or beach at all anymore. Most of these really don't leave much to the imagination."

"That's popular fashion for you." Rin noted, withholding any commentary about his own thoughts on the matter.

Ruri made a face at the notion. "Being popular doesn't make it right. I guess it's just a matter of trying to find an acceptable middle ground."

Ruri swept up and down the aisles, picking a few things that interested her as she went. Rin simply hung back and waited as she collected suits, hoping she would merely hold them up to herself and ask his opinion. He was in no such luck, though, as she quickly grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him along behind her as she made her way to a dressing room. She stopped just long enough to let him sit down outside the room.

"I appreciate your willingness to help me out, Rin-dono." She said in the doorway to the dressing room. "I hope this won't be too much of a waste of your time."

"I'm, uh…glad to be able to help, Ruri." Rin said as he tried to get comfortable on the bench he'd sat on. Ruri smiled at him briefly before closing the door behind her.

Rin didn't have long to wonder what she would be presenting to him first than the door opened and she stepped out wearing a simple yellow one-piece swimsuit. It hugged her body fairly well, but clearly she wasn't entirely satisfied with it.

"This one is rather modest, but not terribly comfortable." She mentioned, turning around as she looked it over. She looked at Rin expectantly. "What do you think?"

"Yellow's not the color I'd have picked for you, to be honest." Rin said, though inwardly he confirmed his previous observation that Ruri did indeed have better proportions than Asa.

"That's what I thought as well, I mainly picked it for the style. It's the most modest thing I could find."

"But is it worth being uncomfortable for the sake of modesty? We are going to be at the beach for quite a while after all."

"True enough. I suppose I'll try something else then."

Ruri stepped back in while Rin took a quick, cleansing breath. Even in such a modest swimsuit, Ruri had looked quite striking. He hesitated to think what the right suit in the right color would do for her.

The door opened again and this time she wore a black two-piece suit with red trim that looked more like a cycling outfit than a swimsuit.

"This one is fairly more comfortable, though it is a bit tight through the chest." She noted.

"Black is going to get pretty hot out in that sun." Rin noted, also noting the tightness of the top around her chest to himself.

"You make a good point. I'd rather not end up fainting from dehydration."

Rin wondered if the third time would be the charm as she stepped back into the changing room again. He knew he couldn't take much more of this as it was.

"This is something I saw in a magazine Kareha was looking through once." She said from inside. "Well, it's not exactly the same but it's similar."

Rin was about to make some sort of comment about fashion magazines but his mind blanked. Ruri had stepped out in her third choice and it had indeed been the charm. It was a white string bikini with a red sarong with a tropical flower pattern tied around her waist.

"This is a little embarrassing, but it is pretty comfortable and I do like the colors." She said, looking herself over. "What do you thin, Rin-dono?"

"I, uh…I think…um…that is…" was all Rin could manage. Ruri was only confused for a moment by Rin's behavior.

"I think I'll take that as you giving your approval." She said, smiling at him as she stepped back into the changing room.

"Approval!" Rin exclaimed, drawing looks from bystanders. "That is, yes. I think that's just the look for you Ruri."

Ruri emerged a few minutes later dressed in her street clothes with her suit of choice and the sarong in one hand and the others in her other hand. Rin had, by then, regained his composure and fell in right alongside her. She put the other suits back, bought the one she wanted and they headed for the exit.

"You really looked amazing, Ruri." Rin told her sincerely. "I'm sorry I acted-"

"Don't apologize, Rin-dono." She told him before he could finish his apology. "If anything, seeing you act like that kind of…well, I certainly didn't mind it."

"I certainly didn't mind what I saw."

The two were so distracted smiling at each other as they walked that they almost ran into a woman as they neared the doors. They stumbled backwards just before they bowled the lady over.

"I'm terribly sorry, ma'am we weren't watching where we were going." Ruri said, instantly apologetic over the matter.

"Ruri-chan?" the lady said, seeming to recognize her. Rin stepped back a bit more and took a good look at the lady. She was a bit shorter than Ruri and had shoulder-length hair that was just about the same color as hers. He also noticed some similarities between the two in their faces.

"M-mother!" Ruri said, surprised to see her. "I wasn't aware you were coming shopping today."

"Your father needs new shirts and you know how he is about shopping." Her mother told her. She turned to look at Rin, a small smile on her face. "I take it this young man is…?"

"Rin Tsuchimi, ma'am." Rin said, bowing respectfully to her. "Pleased to meet you. Ruri has been very diligent in helping to guard myself and my friends recently."

Ruri's mother bowed in return to him. "Yes, she's told us all about her latest duty. It's nice to meet you as well, Rin. So what brings you two here today?"

Ruri and Rin exchanged looks as both struggled to find an explanation. While they did so, her mother peered into the bag Ruri was carrying and spotted its contents. She looked up at Ruri with a knowing smile.

"I think I understand completely, dear." She told her daughter.

"It's not like that, mother!" Ruri protested, immediately getting flustered. "His Majesty ordered me to come to the beach with them all and-"

"Honey, relax." Her mother said, putting a hand on her arm. "Honestly, you've always worried too much about appearances. Like when you were worried about being a princess for your school play when you were nine."

"Mother!" Ruri said, now looking completely aghast.

Her mother simply laughed a little. "Oh I'm just having a little fun with you, dear. Well I'd best see to my shopping. Rin, it was nice to meet you. I look forward to seeing you again soon. Ruri, we will be in touch dear. Do have fun at the beach."

Ruri and Rin left after Ruri's mother continued into the store. They were halfway home before either of them spoke again.

"Sometimes I think she goes out of her way to embarrass me." Ruri said, shaking her head.

"I'm sure it wasn't mean-spirited." Rin told her. "It certainly didn't sound that way."

"Maybe. Parents will be parents, I suppose, right?"

"I, uh, wouldn't know."

Ruri looked at Rin curiously. "What does that mean?"

"I wouldn't have expected you to know, Ruri, but my parents died in a car accident eight years ago along with Kaede's mother."

"Rin-dono…I'm sorry."

"Like I said, no way you could've known."

"But still…"

Rin bumped her playfully a bit to snap her out of her downcast state. "Seeing you in that at the beach will certainly make up for it. Okay?"

Ruri went from downcast to blushing, but with a small smile. She nodded at Rin and decided to simply drop the matter, not wanting to stir up any further family talk for either of them for the rest of the walk home.


	8. Damned If You Do, Damned If You Don't

For the first time in recent memory, Rin actually felt relaxed. He lay reclined on the beach underneath an umbrella, eyes closed behind a pair of sunglasses. The breeze from the sea occasionally flowed by him, further adding to his comfort. The girls had all gone off to change, including Ruri. Eustoma and Forbesii were chasing each other along the shore, and Itsuki was off hitting on anything that looked remotely female. It was a moment of respite he'd not even been able to beg for since the school year began. It was only interrupted when he heard footsteps stop right by him. He braced himself for whoever it was demanding his attention this time, only to be pleasantly surprised instead.

"Did I disturb you?" Ruri asked timidly. "I just wanted to get back before any of the other girls saw me."

Rin sat upright, adjusting his sunglasses so as to hide how much he was appreciating Ruri's figure in the bikini and sarong she'd chosen from the store. "Not at all. I was just relaxing while I can. Heaven knows once the others get back I probably won't have a moment to myself."

Ruri pursed her lips thoughtfully for just a moment, quickly giving in to her inner voice that was screaming at her to take this opportunity and run with it.

"You could always go scavenging for seashells or something before they get back." She suggested. "If you're otherwise occupied they might be more likely to leave you be."

Rin considered the idea for a moment. "Seashells, huh? I guess that'd work."

Rin rose to his feet, slid his feet into his sandals and started heading down along the beach. Ruri quickly fell in alongside him, a bit to his surprise.

"I thought the idea was for me to have time to myself?" he asked, eyebrow cocked at her.

"I still have a duty to protect you, and there are plenty of outcroppings around here where attackers could lie in wait." Ruri replied immediately. "If you like I'll be as silent as a mouse, though."

"That's really not necessary, Ruri. Truthfully, I think you're the one bit of company I certainly wouldn't mind having along."

The two smiled at each other as they took to the task at hand, searching both the shoreline and further up the beach for worthwhile shells to collect. Many of Rin's discoveries, while interesting, usually ended up being the current home of some hermit crab. They did end up finding a sizeable conch shell that Ruri hung onto as they continued their search, though the search eventually fell off in favor of the two simply talking as they walked the beach.

"Do you mind a bit of a complicated question?" Ruri asked at one point while they sat on a large rock resting.

"I'll give it my best." Rin replied, tossing another of a number of rocks he'd accumulated back into the sea.

Ruri took a deep breath and looked out at the sea as she spoke. "Given your personal history having lost both your parents, and the fact that otherwise you're facing a rather hard life ahead of you being utterly on your own, why aren't you considering marriage to either Princess Nerine or Her Majesty Princess Lisianthus? It would be the smart thing to do to ensure your own future, not to mention you would be living up to the expectations their Majesties have about you."

Rin hummed as he mulled over his answer to the question, knowing there was more behind it than just what Ruri was claiming to be curious about.

"I guess from one point of view it would be the smart thing to do." He said. "I'd certainly have an easier life being waited on and watched over by others, and I'd never want for anything ever again. And I'd be married to an incredibly pretty woman and probably have an equally wonderful family eventually.

"But for as smart as that might be, it's not what I want for myself. Everyone makes a big deal out of how much I'd be able to do and how much privilege I'd gain but they don't mention everything I'd have to give up in order to get it all. And all that isn't to mention that for as beautiful as Sia and Nerine are I just don't feel any connection with either of them. I can't just marry someone who I feel is like a total stranger to me no matter how much they seem to care about me. It would be unfair to them for me to fake such feelings even for a moment."

Rin threw another rock into the sea. "I guess when you get down to it I'm really just being rather selfish, but I want to be with someone I care about regardless of their status or any of that. And I want a future I create with my own two hands, not one that's handed to me on a silver platter."

"I see. You've really given this a lot of thought, haven't you?" Ruri said, amazed at his forthrightness.

Rin snorted a bit. "It's not like I have much time anymore to think about anything else."

"I know. I wish there was something I could do to ease that burden for you, but mine is but to serve the royal family."

"Even so, there have to be things you want to do that aren't related to your duty." Rin told her. "It's not fair that you keep sacrificing everything you like and want for the sake of that. You've already done so much for them after all and me for that matter."

"Thank you…but until this current matter of your and the princess' safety is resolved I just cannot consider that." Ruri said, rising back to her feet. "The sun's beginning to set. We should get back soon for the trip back home."

Rin and Ruri walked back towards where everyone else had set their things up in silence, only stopping when Ruri finally spotted the group still playing volleyball as the sun began casting its last rays of light across the water. A sense of dread filled her as she looked at them.

"I'm never going to hear the end of this." She said with a heavy sigh. "Coming to a place like this dressed so ridiculously…and I thought the princess had things to hold over me before."

"How can you possibly say that?" Rin asked, turning her to face him.

Ruri turned her face away from him. "It's like I'm playing at something I'm not. Trying to be a more feminine and appealing girl when I'm not."

"That's nonsense." Rin told her. "Ruri, you're one of the most beautiful girls I've ever seen, let alone met. You're smart, capable and caring about others. And on top of all that, no matter what you might think you're incredibly attractive to boot. You keep going on and on about not being feminine but when are you going to realize that that doesn't matter to some people? It certainly doesn't matter to me, though I think you're plenty feminine anyway. And I'm not saying all this just to be nice, either. I honestly don't know what else I could say to convince-"

Rin never got to finish the last sentence of his rant. Unable to contain her feelings for a moment longer, Ruri took his face in her hands and pulled it to hers, kissing him longingly. Rin immediately went rigid, but only for a moment. He quickly put his arms around her and kissed her back, the world around them fading away. They traded kisses for a full minute before they finally stopped; both of them flushed in the face and gasping for breath.

"That…was…incredibly nice." Rin said between gulps of air.

"I'm going to be in a boatload of trouble for this." Ruri said, resting her head on Rin's chest as she looked over at the group of girls who were, by now, all watching them intently. Kaede looked to have fainted, Asa and Kareha were cheering her on and Sia and Nerine were simply stunned. She looked back at Rin after taking the scene in.

"We'd better go face the music." Rin told her. Ruri simply nodded and fell in beside him again, looking grimly at the scene in front of them. She felt his hand take hers and she squeezed his palm as they walked. This was one thing, one feeling she didn't want to give up, no matter who said what.


	9. One of Us

Rin and Kaede waited patiently outside their house, enjoying the morning weather. Ruri was being uncharacteristically slow that morning so they told her to join them when she was ready. Rin was lost in thinking back to the beach trip and what had happened between him and Ruri. It had taken a lot of talking to get everyone calmed down when they'd gotten back, but thankfully Ruri hadn't gotten into any real trouble for it. If anything, Sia had been more surprised that Ruri was capable of being attracted to a guy at all.

"Good morning Rin, Kaede!" Sia called out as she and Nerine approached. "Where's Matsuri?"

"Still inside." Rin told her. "I think she woke up late or something. She was certainly taking her time getting ready this morning."

"I hope she comes out soon." Kaede added. "Miss Benibara doesn't go easy on tardy students, no matter who they are."

No sooner did Kaede voice her concern than the sound of the door opening and closing announced Ruri's appearance. Everyone turned to see her and immediately looked surprised. Ruri was dressed in the female Verbena uniform for the first time any of them could recall, and for Rin's part he found she looked stunning in it.

"I am sorry for my lateness." She said politely. "It seems all of my male uniforms were in the laundry so I had no other choice. I'm terribly unused to wearing this."

Kaede looked at Ruri curiously. "But I'm sure I cleaned-"

"No problem, Ruri." Rin said, cutting Kaede off. "Well, let's be going, shall we?"

Kaede, Sia and Nerine all just looked on in confusion as Rin walked on ahead, immediately joined by Ruri.

"You should've thought of a better excuse than that." Rin told her quietly. "Kaede does all the laundry, remember?"

"Right. Sorry. But how else was I supposed to explain the sudden change?" Ruri replied. "I just hope I don't look too silly is all."

Rin smiled at her. "You look great. Seriously."

Ruri smiled back and let herself enjoy the walk to school, though she could overhear some of the chatter from the girls behind her and could tell they were at the very least envious of her for her boldness at the beach. A look of worry crossed her face that Rin quickly picked up on.

"For what it's worth, I don't think anyone's actually mad at you." He told her. "A little jealous maybe, but not mad."

"Jealous? Of me?" Ruri responded in disbelief. "I have a hard time believing that."

"Well, for all their efforts none of them were the one I was kissing on the beach the other day. I think they're realizing that there's more to establishing a relationship with someone than just being acquainted with them."

"Kaede-dono was certainly more than merely acquainted with you before I came along, though."

Rin grimaced at the thought. "I kinda feel bad saying this, but I've never seen Kaede in a romantic light. She's a tremendous friend and I've relied on her for a lot over the years, but I never once considered her as a girlfriend. I know she doesn't think that way about me, but it's just something I can't reciprocate no matter what anyone says."

"Yet another example of not doing what's expected of you, I suppose?" Ruri said, smirking as she chided him.

Rin laughed at the comment. "I suppose so. Speaking of expecting things, I expect we'll be training again this evening?"

"Assuming the weather holds." Ruri said, looking skyward. "Those clouds rolling in don't look all that friendly. I'd rather we not train in the rain. It would defeat the purpose of training if we ended up sick as a result."

Rin nodded in response. "Good point. Guess we'll just keep an eye on the sky then."

The remainder of the trip to school went as usual, and before long lunchtime rolled around once again. Everyone gathered on the roof in the usual area, though Ruri, Kareha and Asa decided to move closer to the rest of the group. Kareha and Asa, by way of creative positioning, managed to get Ruri a spot sitting right next to Rin; it was a maneuver that instantly sent Kareha off into her little fantasy world.

"That certainly didn't take long." Rin noted as he ate some rice from his lunch.

"Don't be too surprised, Rin-chan." Asa told him. "She's been like this all day. I stopped trying to snap her out of it after she spaced out for the entirety of history class."

Ruri simply went about her lunch normally, though inwardly she did enjoy being part of the group now; not to mention being closer to Rin was also quite nice. She looked back at the sky, though, and grumbled a bit to herself. The clouds were looking even worse now. Training was likely going to be a wash for the evening.

"Ruri-sempai, is something wrong?" Sia asked. Ruri's eyes shot wide as she looked back at the princess of the Realm of Gods, utterly shocked. Sia cocked her head at her. "Umm, did I say something wrong?"

"Y-y-y-y-your majesty…! Why would you lower yourself in order to refer to one such as I in such a manner?!" she said, immediately fumbling for her usual adherence to protocol.

"Well, I got to thinking this morning on the way in that despite our circumstances you are still ahead of me in a number of things." Sia told her. "You are my senior, after all, and you're way, way better at a lot of school subjects than me. Plus you're the student council president, too! And to top it all off, you're the one who got to kiss Rin first! I just figured it was about time I started showing you the proper respect is all. Besides, I really hate formality and your Human name is so pretty too. I've always thought that, you know."

Ruri was dumbstruck at Sia's deference to her. This was completely foreign territory to her, and no amount of protocol or training had ever prepared her for a member of the royal family to be so genial towards her.

"Just remember, the Realm of Gods does practice polygamy so don't think I'm giving up on Rin just yet." Sia added with a wink. "And think of it, if we both ended up marrying him it'd make you royalty too!"

Ruri's head was now full-on spinning and she visibly wavered where she sat. Rin put an arm around her to steady her, which seemed to help her snap out of it some.

"Was that last part really necessary, Sia?" Rin asked, clearly a little annoyed.

Sia smiled impishly with her tongue stuck out a bit. "Heh, sorry. I couldn't help it. This isn't the first time I've gotten her to overload like that though."

"That reminds me, I meant to ask you about that the last time you mentioned it Sia." Nerine said, looking at her. "What was that order all about you mentioned that was so embarrassing to Ruri-sempai?"

Rin bit his lower lip and was about to try to change the subject, but Ruri put her hand on his and shook her head at him. She scooted closer to Sia and Nerine as she addressed them.

"Allow me, Princess." Ruri said.

"Ruri-sempai, are you sure?" Sia asked.

"After having been shows such magnanimity from you, Princess, the least I can do is face up to this matter."

Sia just nodded and sat back as Ruri set to her explanation.

"You see, Nerine-sama, Her Majesty went through a bit of a magical girls phase in her youth." Ruri told her. "Her parents showered her with gifts of costumes and other merchandise from her favorite shows, but what she loved most was to pretend to actually be a magical girl. She particularly enjoyed the shows that had teams of girls, but not many of her royal friends were so interested in the genre as she. Finally one day, when I was on duty guarding her, she asked me to come to her playroom so I could try on a number of costumes in order to act out a scene with her. At first I tried to refuse, citing that my duty was to guard her and not play with her, but she immediately turned it into an order. Refusing a direct order from royalty is punishable by death, so I had little choice in the matter. What I wasn't prepared for was that Her Majesty turned it into a regular matter for us. For the better part of a year, half of my guard shifts were spent pretending to be a magical girl along with Her Majesty."

"Ah, I do recall that period now that you mention it!" Nerine said, smiling brightly. "Sia only lost her fascination with magical girl things a couple of years ago. I would have been happy to play along as well, but I was never terribly familiar with those kind of shows. Also, the outfits were…not the sort of thing I could wear, to be truthful. How did you manage it, Ruri-sempai? After all, you are far more developed than Sia is."

Both Ruri and Sia blushed at Nerine's inference. Fortunately for Ruri, Sia jumped at the question first.

"I think that's enough embarrassment for one day, Rin-chan." She told her. "Still, it's a bit nostalgic to think about those times again. Ruri-sempai, I also want you to know that even though it was terribly embarrassing for you to humor me like that back then, I really enjoyed it and not just because of my whole thing about magical girls. Even if it was all pretend and play, I felt like there was someone I could relate to in a normal manner without having to worry about rank or station or any of that nonsense. I really considered you a friend then, and I do now as well."

Ruri was honestly stunned. "Your Majesty…I truly do not know what to say…"

"You don't have to say anything. And really, you don't have to call me 'Your Majesty' or 'Princess' or any of that. Just 'Sia' is fine with me, really."

"At the very least allow me to call you Sia-sama, then. I personally can't allow any more than that."

Sia nodded with a smile. "I guess that'll work."

Ruri moved back to sit by Rin, who just smiled and nodded at her. She returned the gesture, but then had her wonderful moment ruined by the rumble of thunder overhead. Everyone scrambled to get back inside as the skies opened up, putting a damper on both the moment Ruri and Sia had had as well as Ruri and Rin's plans for training that evening.


	10. Kiss and Tell

"I'm terribly sorry, Rin, but it's not letting up over here." Kaede said on the other end of the phone. "I'll be spending the night with Mayumi."

"It's hardly your fault, Kaede. She needed your help to study for tomorrow's English test. I'm sure we'll be fine here tonight." Rin told her.

"There should still be some tonkatsu leftovers in the fridge that you can have for dinner tonight. What about Primula? Did she make it back?"

"No, I heard from her a bit before you called. She went over to have Nerine's mother teach her some more cooking, and she's going to stay over there tonight. Apparently Nerine was hoping to have some time for the two of them to talk and such anyway so they made it into a sleepover."

"I'm sure Primula will enjoy it. Well, I'd better get going. I promised to help Mayumi's mother with dinner preparations tonight."

"I'll see you tomorrow, Kaede."

Rin hung up the phone and walked back to the living room. Ruri sat on the sofa, watching whatever was on TV with a fair amount of disinterest.

"How is Kaede-dono?" she asked, looking at Rin as he sat across from her.

"Fine, she's staying at Mayumi's tonight." Rin told her. "There's leftovers in the fridge we can nuke when we're hungry."

"That sounds like a good plan. Best that I not try to poison us again."

Both of them laughed at the memory of Ruri's failed attempt at curry, only to be interrupted by the sounds of the raging storm outside. Windows rattled, thunder rolled and lightning flashed just outside the walls of the house.

"It's really for the best that Kaede-dono and Primula aren't out in this." Ruri noted. "I haven't seen a storm like this in quite a while."

Rin nodded to her. "No kidding. But at least we're safe inside a nice, warm, sturdy house."

A tremendous crash of thunder punctuated Rin's statement, taking their electricity with it as it slowly echoed away from overhead.

"A nice, warm, sturdy yet dark house." Rin commented as he stood and looked out the window at the now darkened neighborhood. "So much for nuking dinner."

"That's alright, I'm not all that hungry right now anyway." Ruri told him. "So what do we do now?"

"Wait for the power to come back, I guess. I do kinda wish this storm hadn't come up, though. I'd really rather be training."

"For what it's worth, I'm not sure there's much more I can teach you at this point." Ruri said, sitting towards the edge of the couch now. "At least, not without getting into some potentially dangerous sword techniques."

Rin walked over by where she sat. "I'm not that weak, Ruri, you know you don't have to hold back with me."

"Is that so?" Ruri asked, standing up to face him. "I've meant to say this before, but I can tell from your swordplay that you're not swinging as hard at me as you could, Rin. I'm not made of glass, after all. You don't have to hold back with me either."

Rin stepped even closer to her, looking into her eyes. "I guess that means we should both stop holding back, then."

"I'm glad you agree." Ruri said, her voice taking on a tone of urgency. In that instant, she threw any remaining hesitation or restraint out of her mind.

She closed the gap between her and Rin and kissed him furiously, which he immediately returned in kind. They clawed clumsily and desperately at each other's bodies, hands and fingers fumbling with buttons, zippers and clasps. They tumbled over onto the sofa, but neither relented in their assault on the other's senses. They each shed their last inhibitions along with the final pieces of clothing that were keeping them from each other, and they were quickly united.

For Ruri there was indeed some pain and discomfort, but she blocked it out as much as possible while focusing on Rin instead. Sure enough, it all subsided with time and gave way to pleasure the likes of which she'd never known before. No words were spoken the entire time; words would have just gotten in the way. Neither needed to say anything to the other, their actions spoke their feelings for each other far louder and more meaningfully.

The storm punctuated their climax with another earth-shaking thunderclap and the two collapsed next to each other on the sofa gasping for breath. Ruri rested her head on Rin's chest and hugged him tightly as reality came back into focus for her.

"I don't know where to begin to describe what just happened." Rin said having finally caught his breath. "But I do know how to describe how I feel right now."

Ruri picked her head up to look at him and felt his hand run through her hair. She smiled warmly at him. "If you're going to say 'I love you' then you read my mind, because that's what I was going to tell you as well."

"Even so, I want to say it anyway." Rin told her, brushing some hair out of her face. "I love you, Ruri."

Ruri pulled herself up some more, her face hovering just over his. "And I love you, Rin."

They kissed again, Ruri letting herself rest on top of him as they did. Once again their hands began ranging over each other's bodies, but with a fair bit more familiarity now. Ruri broke off the kiss for a moment as she felt her heart pumping hard in her chest again.

"I don't suppose you'd be up for another round so soon, would you?" she asked a bit timidly.

"Now who's the mindreader?" Rin commented back with a chuckle. Ruri laughed as well just before resuming their kiss, the both of them content to simply let the remainder of the evening unfold however it might between the two of them.

* * *

Ruri let out an uncharacteristic yawn as she tried to maintain interest in her lunch. Focus was one thing she had been lacking all day thanks to her activities with Rin the night before, both from their intensity and from their duration. She figured she and Rin had gotten, at most, four or five hours of sleep in total last night. As a result, neither of them were particularly alert that day, and Ruri was downright dazed as she recalled the night and all its amazing moments.

"Ruri? Are you alright?" Kareha asked with true concern. "You've been spacing out all day today. It's really unlike you."

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine." Ruri responded absently as she ate a pickle from her bento.

"She's probably just thinking back to that kiss on the beach, Kareha." Asa said. "It was quite a kiss after all. I'll bet I'm right, eh Ruri?"

"No, not really.", said Ruri, again acting disconnected from the conversation.

"But it is something to do with Rin, isn't it?" Kareha pressed. Ruri just nodded as she continued to eat. "What could it be?"

"Well, we did have sex last night." Ruri said plain as day.

Asa and Kareha dropped their chopsticks in tandem as everyone else in the lunch group also froze at the announcement. Rin, while being tired, was nowhere near as dazed as Ruri was and so he was able to brace himself as a sonic wave in the shape of a giant "WHAT?!" exploded from the group.

"Ruri…you and Rin…??" Kareha asked, utterly shocked at the revelation. Ruri had, by now, finally come to her senses and realized she'd let the cat out of the bag. There was no sense in trying to cover up the truth now.

"W-well…yes. We did." She said, her face doing its best to camouflage her head as a tomato.

Ruri suddenly found herself surrounded by all the other girls, each asking their own questions of her. Rin tried to find a way to extract her from the clamoring girls, but to no avail. He sat back down a bit dejectedly and continued wolfing down his lunch. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Itsuki peering over at him and knew what was coming.

"Itsuki, if you know what's good for you you won't so much as ask me one question regarding a certain private matter that I would really rather not discuss right now." He said with a glare in his eye. Itsuki simply nodded and sat back down, returning to his lunch.

"Everyone, please calm down!" Ruri pleaded, standing up amidst the crash of girls. "I'm sorry I just blurted that out, I didn't mean to cause such uproar. I guess I'm just still really stunned by how things have turned out. I never expected to fall in love with someone so fantastic, much less for him to return that feeling…and for so long I was afraid of trying to get close to him for fear of incurring the wrath of those whom I serve. Ultimately my heart won out over my head, though."

She looked over at Rin, who was looking at her with an honest smile that she returned in kind. "And to be honest, I've never felt more alive as a result. I love Rin completely and I want to be with him always."

Asa stood up, smiled at Ruri and hung an arm over her shoulders. "I think I speak for everyone, especially Kareha, when I say we're honestly happy for you Ruri. I hope you have a lot of happy times together."

Ruri nodded to her. "Thank you Asa."

"That said, just answer one question?"

"Um…I'll try."

"How was it?"

Ruri took a deep breath and thought back on the prior night. "Well, the first time hurt a fair bit to start, but that stopped well before the end."

"Whoa, wait. First time? How many times did you guys do it last night?!"

Ruri smiled slyly at Asa and stepped away from her a bit. "I agreed to answer one question. I suppose you'll just have to use your imagination is all."

"Oh you are evil…" Asa said contemptuously.

The group of girls dispersed at that and Rin finally went over to sit by Ruri.

"You handled that pretty well." He told her.

Ruri sighed as she returned to her bento. "It was my own fault for being so disconnected earlier. Though that was both of our faults for…well…"

"Yeah, no need to finish that thought. Though can I ask one thing?"

"Sure."

Rin leaned in close to her and quietly asked, "How many times did we do it last night? I kinda lost count."

"Truthfully, I'm not sure either. I stopped keeping track after the third time." Ruri replied in a hushed voice. "But they were all quite memorable, trust me."

She quickly kissed him on the cheek before continuing to eat. Rin stifled his own stupid grin and resumed eating his lunch, which was now more relaxed than ever since he was eating it sitting next to his girlfriend.


	11. Family Matters

The bus rolled on around corners on its way from stop to stop delivering its passengers to their desired destinations. Rin fidgeted a bit as he knew the destination he and Ruri were headed for. Ruri put a hand on his and squeezed it reassuringly.

"You really have nothing to worry about." She told him. "Trust me."

"I do." Rin replied, the anxiousness apparent in his voice. "I just want to give a good impression is all. This is your family, after all."

"And they wouldn't have invited you to dinner if they thought you were a bad person that they didn't want me around. They will love you. Well, not like I love you, of course."

"I should hope not. So who all will be there?"

"My mother, father and brother. My sister is in the Realm of Gods with her husband and his other wife."

"Too bad, I was hoping she'd get to see how much you've changed lately."

"It wouldn't have been enough." Ruri hung her head a bit at the thought. "Unless I quit the guard and leaned how to prepare a masterpiece seven course meal from scratch, nothing would be enough for her. So as much as it might be nice to show off to her, it probably would have just ended in another shouting match between her and me. It's really for the better that she isn't here."

It was Rin's turn now, and he squeezed Ruri's hand in his. "It might not be enough for her, but it is for me. As far as I'm concerned you're all woman, Ruri."

Ruri smiled and nodded at him appreciatively. She leaned over and kissed him, but only briefly as the bus came to a stop. Looking up she recognized it as their stop, so she got up and led Rin off of the bus. Rin followed close behind as she walked down a street, took a couple of turns and soon enough arrived at a very well-kept two-story home with flower baskets outside every window and handing from shepherd's crooks on either side of the front door.

"I take it your family likes flowers?" Rin commented.

"My father fancies himself a horticulturalist and practices flower arranging." Ruri told him. "It helps him relax and get his mind off of military matters."

Ruri rang the doorbell and stood back. Moments later, the door opened and her mother peeked out from inside, smiling warmly at both of them.

"Impeccable timing, as usual." She said. "Please do come in. Welcome to our home, Rin."

"Thank you for inviting me, ma'am." Rin said politely, following Ruri inside.

"Please call me Ryouko. Ajisai has been looking forward to meeting you since I first told him of you, Rin."

"Where is father?" Ruri asked as she stepped up out of the genkan.

"Doing his usual meditations on the balcony, dear. I expect he'll be joining us soon though. You should go see your brother; he's been looking forward to seeing you again. He's up in his room right now."

"I suppose I should go meet him as well." Rin added. "He's probably curious about me."

"Actually, Rin, if you wouldn't mind keeping me company for a moment I'd appreciate it." Ryouko said. Rin nodded and gave a small wave to Ruri as she headed off into the house. Rin followed Ryouko into the living room where they sat down across from each other.

"May I ask you something up front, Rin?" Ryouko asked as she offered him some tea. Rin politely accepted the offer.

"Is it about my relationship with Ruri?" he asked in return.

"Actually, no. I was wondering…you wouldn't happen to be the son of Tsuchimi Mikado, would you?"

Rin stopped short of sipping his tea and looked at Ryouko in surprise. "How do you know my father's name?"

Ryouko smiled to herself as she sat back in her chair a bit more. "I thought so. You are the spitting image of Mikado."

"Did you know him when you were kids?" Rin asked, suddenly keenly curious about the matter.

"You could say that. You could also say I was his girlfriend for most of high school. Had things turned out differently, I might be your mother right now instead of Ruri's. Fate, however, had other things in mind for me."

"Ruri told me that you somehow ended up in the Realm of Gods. How did that happen?"

"No one is certain. All I remember is one night on my way home from a trip to a convenience store I saw a pillar of light in the sky outside the city. I was curious so I went to check it out. I ended up lost in the forest, and when I finally got out I had somehow been transported to their realm. Ajisai was the first person I met there. I spent several months trying to figure out how to get home, but eventually I resigned myself that I was never getting back home. Over time, Ajisai and I grew closer and finally we were married.

"When the gates to the Human Realm were finally opened, Ajisai did everything in his power to move our family here. I was grateful, but my feelings for Mikado had long since faded. When we finally got the approval and bought our house, I sought to reconnect with Mikado to catch up on old times. That's when I learned of what happened. I'm so sorry for your loss, Rin, especially since you were so young."

Rin's eyes trailed down to his tea as he recalled the incident. "My parents weren't the only ones lost in that accident. The mother of a childhood friend of mine also died. I've been staying with her and her father ever since. It hasn't always been easy, but they've taken good care of me."

"I'm glad to hear it. If you'd ever like to know more about your father, by all means ask. I'd be happy to share my memories with you."

"Thank you, Ryouko-san. That means a lot to me."

"Still, I can see why Ruri fell for you. You are your father's son, after all."

Rin laughed nervously. "Are we that obvious that we're dating?"

"Oh I knew she's had her eye on you since I bumped into you both at the department store. No girl takes a boy shopping for a swimsuit unless they're looking to impress him somehow."

"Ruri has talked a lot about having a hard time identifying herself as a woman…is that really how things were for her?"

"From her perspective, that's absolutely correct. The problem is she has always held herself in her older sister's shadow, and her older sister always went to great lengths to prove her femininity. It's been hard to see the two of them driven apart over such a trivial matter, but I'm hopeful that things will start to change between them. I have you to thank for that, Rin. Ajisai and I are honestly amazed at how much Ruri has changed and opened up since meeting you."

"She really is an amazing and beautiful young woman. I'm honored that she cares so much for me. I know I feel the same for her."

The sound of footsteps coming downstairs cued Ryouko to stand from her chair and turn to the doorway. Rin did likewise as a tall, older man with black hair flecked with white stepped into the room. His ears gave him away as a member of the race of Gods.

"Hello dear." Ryouko said warmly. "How were your meditations today?"

"Quite relaxing, thank you." Ajisai responded, his voice a resounding baritone. "I take it this is young Rin-dono, then?"

Ryouko nodded to him. "Indeed. I'll leave the two of you to get acquainted. I should see to how things are going in the kitchen anyway."

Ajisai walked over by Rin, who did his level best to remain calm. Ajisai was truly an impressive physical specimen, easily being at least as well-built as Eustoma but clearly far more battle-hardened. He looked Rin over as he stood just a few paces from him.

"I see signs of training on you. I take it Ruri has been teaching you swordsmanship?" he asked.

"At my request, sir." Rin replied. "I wanted to be able to help protect my friends and loved ones instead of just being a victim of whoever is after me."

"A commendable attitude, but remember that we guards have trained intensely for years to properly perform our duties. There are things Ruri is capable of that you will never attain. When the time comes, have faith in her and her skills and don't endanger yourself recklessly. I do not wish to see undue harm come to one who my daughter cherishes so much."

"I understand, sir, but at the same time it wouldn't feel right to me for her to face such danger alone. Still, I will be careful."

Ajisai's face stretched into a small smile as he patted Rin's shoulder firmly while walking past him a bit. "Trust me, boy; you have a much more important role to play in Ruri's future than that of a comrade-in-arms."

"I know, and for what it's worth she certainly means more to me than simply a protector."

Ajisai turned to face Rin again and caught a glimpse of Ruri peering around the doorway at them. He smiled a bit more and focused back on Rin.

"Tell me, Rin, has Ruri told you why she became a guard?" he asked.

"She said she did it to carry on your family tradition since you hadn't started training her little brother. That's all the more I know about it." Rin replied.

Ajisai nodded at him. "That's as much as I'd expect you to know, since that is indeed her reason. However, what she doesn't know is why I never started training her brother, Jin. I think it's something you should know."

Rin simply nodded to Ajisai as he began his explanation.

"My family has served the royal family of the Realm of Gods for many generations." He began. "Our tradition of service, along with our swordplay style, was handed down from fathers to sons for hundreds of years. Over that time we gained much recognition as elite guardsmen and our family was elevated in status as a result. At the same time, though, many family members were lost over the years in the line of duty. For as much prestige as my family has earned, it has not been an easy road we have traveled.

"Ten years ago, that all changed when His Majesty King Eustoma and the Demon Lord Forbesii opened the gates from our realms to the Human Realm. At the same time, they forged a new relationship between the Gods and Demons and ever since then we have known a peace that has been foreign to us since time immemorial. As a result, there has been a growing call to reduce the military forces of both sides as a further gesture of our new bond.

"His Majesty came to me first, because of my family's status, and made us an offer that I simply could not refuse. If I agreed to be the last of my line to serve the royal family, my family's status would be forever cemented in the Realm of Gods and my descendants would forever receive the same stipend and benefits as if we were still in their service. To give my children and their children in turn a life of peace and freedom from such bloody and dangerous service is something I have only ever dreamed of, and so I agreed wholeheartedly to the offer and never began Jin's training to become a guard. My only oversight was never mentioning the deal I had made to my children.

"When Ruri became a guard of her own volition, I was at first concerned that the deal His Majesty had offered me would be null and void; however, because it was her will to become a guard, His Majesty viewed it as being unrelated to the deal. And because she seemed so proud of her accomplishments and skill, I felt it was not my place to force Ruri to abandon something that was her own ambition. Even so, I hoped that someday Ruri would find something else to be so passionate about so she wouldn't have to face the dangers a guard must face in the line of duty. And now, it seems, my prayer has been answered."

Ajisai looked towards the doorway once again. "At least that is how it seems to me. What do you say, Ruri?"

Rin turned and saw Ruri step into the doorway and then walk into the room, stopping beside him.

"Father…so you never intended to train Jin at all, then?" she said, her mind struggling to come to grips with the truth that her father had shared just then.

"I have only ever wanted you and your siblings to be able to follow your own dreams and be whatever you wanted." Ajisai told her. "I wanted you to have the freedom to choose your own path. I never wanted any of you to feel compelled or obligated to hold to a family tradition that would have intentionally put you in harm's way. If being a guard is truly what you want in life I will respect your decision and wish you the best; but if there is something else you want out of life, if you feel there is something or even someone else you wish to live your life for, do not feel you are forever tethered to a life of servitude to the royal family. His Majesty will accept your resignation freely and happily at any time."

Unable to contain her emotions any further, Ruri hugged her father tightly, sobbing into his chest. Ajisai smiled as he hugged his daughter gently in return, letting her get it all out of her system.

"I appreciate the sentiment, Ruri, but I think there's someone else whose arms are better suited for this job now," Ajisai said, once Ruri's sobbing seemed to be a bit more under control. Sniffling and red-faced, Ruri nodded and turned toward Rin who simply smiled at her. She stepped to him quickly, finding even more solace in his arms than her father's. Rin put his arms around her a bit hesitantly, looking at Ajisai nervously. Ajisai merely smiled back at him approvingly.

"Normally I believe the cliché thing for me to say would be to ask you to make sure to take care of my daughter; however, I can see that such words are far from necessary," he told Rin. "I believe dinner will be ready shortly, so please join us in the dining room when you're both ready."

Rin quietly held onto Ruri until Ajisai had left the room and then lifted her face so that he could look her in the eyes. "Are you gonna be okay?"

"I think so," she replied weakly, her voice raspy from her emotional breakdown. "I feel like my whole life has just been turned upside down. It's scary, but at the same time I feel like a tremendous weight has been taken off of my shoulders. For as much pride and as many accolades as I've gained as a result of being a royal guard, I must confess now that it isn't what I wanted to become. I made it the center of my life because I thought I was fulfilling an obligation on behalf of my family. To learn, after all this time, that I never needed to do all that I have…"

"It must make you feel at least a little like you've wasted a lot of your life, I imagine," Rin said pensively.

"Yes…and no," Ruri told him, touching his cheek with one hand. "I may have lost a lot of my childhood and caused a rift with my sister that will take a lot of time and work to heal, but it's thanks to all of it that I gained something…someone who means more to me than I can possibly tell him with words."

Rin smiled and brushed some of her hair back out of her face. "I only hope I'm always so worthy of those feelings."

"Now this is some premium-grade cheese if I ever saw it," another male voice said from nearby. Rin and Ruri looked over and spotted a boy several years younger than either of them with short hair the same color as Ruri's leaning in the doorway smirking at them. "You really have gone girly, haven't you sis?"

"Jin, my dear brother," Ruri said in a fake sweet tone. "Your dear older sister was just having a rather nice moment with her boyfriend just now that you have quite efficiently ruined. My code of honor dictates that I inform you that you now have five seconds to start running before I give pursuit to knock you into next week."

Jin's face went white as he slid and began running for the stairs. Ruri pushed Rin back a bit from her.

"Pardon me for a moment, Rin. It seems my brother needs some sense knocked into him," she said, cracking her knuckles.

Rin nodded and took a seat on the sofa. "Go ahead and commence with the sense-knocking. I'll just hang out here for now."

Ruri blew him a quick kiss before her face twisted into a scowl as she quickly disappeared. As he heard the sound of sibling torture coming from what he surmised was Jin's room, Rin was suddenly rather thankful for once that he had ended up as an only child after all.


	12. Consequences

The only thing that stirred Ruri from her reverie was the sensation of Rin squeezing her hand as they walked. Dinner had gone on quite nicely and the two were on their way back to the Fuyou home for the night. Ruri had found herself mulling over a number of things on the way home, but snapped out of it as Rin looked at her concerned.

"What's on your mind," he asked, slowing the pace of his walking.

"A lot. More than I can say in few words," Ruri responded, chewing on the inside of her lip a bit. "I'm not sure what I should do, knowing what I do now. Having the freedom to decide my own future doesn't mean I know right away what I want to do next."

"Do you think you'll quit the guard?"

"I really don't know. But I can't make that decision until after my current duty is completed. I wouldn't feel right leaving your protection to anyone else."

"I can respect that, but at the same time I don't want to see you get hurt in the process, Ruri."

"I promise I'll be careful from here on out. And I promise that I'll consider my future with the guard more fully after we know for certain you and your friends are safe."

"I couldn't ask for much more than that. Thanks, Ruri."

Smiling, Ruri quickly slid her arm around Rin's and hugged it, pressing his arm against her chest. Rin's pulse jumped at the sensation. "Are you, um, cold or something?"

"Not at all. I just thought I'd do something nice for you is all," Ruri told him with an impish smile. She then leaned closer to his ear and added, "And perhaps I'll follow it up with something else later tonight once Kaede-dono and Primula are well asleep."

"You really don't like wasting time when it comes to our relationship, do you?"

"Actions speak louder than words, and when it comes to expressing how much I love you, Rin, I can't think of a better way. Or more mutually fun way, for that matter."

Rin was about to continue their innuendo-laden banter when he spotted the Fuyou house and noticed the front door was hanging by one hinge. He broke away from Ruri abruptly and made a mad dash for the house. The interior of the house was in shambles. He called for Primula and Kaede multiple times with no answer. He searched every room of the house and found no trace of them. When he finally got to his room he found a recent photo of himself, Kaede, Primula and Ruri taken during the beach trip stuck to the desk with an ornate dagger similar to the one that had delivered the previous ultimatum to him. Ruri finally caught up with him there and, upon seeing the picture and the dagger, instantly knew what had happened. She tugged at Rin's arm to get him to come with her only to find it was tensed, his fist clenched tightly. She dug her fingernails into his arm a bit, which seemed to snap him out of his rage for the moment.

"Standing here stewing isn't going to solve anything," she told him grimly. "His Majesty must be informed of this turn of events."

Wordlessly, Rin nodded to her and quickly followed as Ruri led the way over to Eustoma's home to seek an audience with the King of Gods. The two happened to walk in as Eustoma and Sia were entertaining Forbesii and Nerine in their home.

"Matsuri? And Rin-dono? What brings you here," Eustoma asked, concerned about the expressions on their faces.

"Your Majesty, Kaede-dono and Primula have been taken," she said, her head bowed to her king. "It happened while Rin-dono and I were visiting my family for the afternoon. I…I have no excuse for shirking my duty in such a shameful manner."

"They left this," Rin added, holding up the dagger they'd found in his room.

Eustoma's face turned bright red as he turned and brought his fist down full force onto a nearby table, splintering it on impact. "Of all the cowardly…" he seethed. "I'll mobilize the entire military! I'll track these bastards down and tear them limb from limb personally!"

Forbesii was quick to put a hand on his longtime friend's shoulder in an attempt to calm him down. "While I share your outrage, Shin-chan, I think there may be a much more subtle way to go about this."

"Subtlety be damned," Eustoma shot back at him. "There will be retribution for involving innocents in a dispute regarding who sits on the throne!"

"I'll be the last person to deny you retribution for such a matter, Shin-chan, but for the sake of not involving even more innocent bystanders in the matter please hear me out," Forbesii pleaded.

Eustoma glared at Forbesii for a moment, but relented, sighing heavily as he let him present his idea.

"It's actually fortunate they took Primula as well as the young missy," Forbesii stated. "They have unknowingly given us a way to track their precise location."

"How do you figure," Rin asked, holding back all the comments he'd like to fire at the Demon King for finding such a thing to be fortunate.

"Being a synthetic life form, Primula was given a unique energy signature as a way to track her vital signs during experiments," Forbesii explained. "That energy signature can also be traced to discern her location. Nerine can use her magic to find where they've taken the girls and lead us straight to them without needing to tear the entire city apart in the process."

"Is this true, Nerine," Rin asked, quickly shifting his attention to the demon princess.

"Yes, I can indeed find Primula; however, it will take some time to discern her location accurately," Nerine replied demurely. "I have to search the entire city for her aura and then little by little home in on her exact location. It will take some hours to accomplish."

"And that's assuming they're still anywhere nearby," Rin added. "This could be a waste of time!"

"The perpetrators have to still be somewhere in the city," Forbesii told him, sensing Rin's unease. "Shin-chan and I would have known if they had used the Gate to travel back to either of our realms and we haven't sensed anything of the sort, right Shin-chan?"

"Ma-bou is right," Eustoma said, still sounding dejected. "The wretches must still be in the city, which means we can track them down. In the case that they do use the Gate before we find them, we'll know immediately. I'll send word to the Gate authorities on the other side to have extra security personnel ready in case that happens."

Flustered and still furious, Rin just grunted and stormed out of the house as Nerine began her preparations to track Primula down.

"Matsuri, one moment before you go," Eustoma said as Ruri turned to follow Rin. She stopped and stood at attention for her king. He approached and spoke in a hushed tone. "Listen carefully. When Nerine finds Primula and the young missy you will invariably be involved in the rescue effort. I am hereby invoking Article 9 for you regarding this matter."

Ruri's eyes went wide. "Article 9? Sire, are you-"

"I am utterly serious, Ruri=Matsuri," Eustoma told her authoritatively. "You know what this means, correct?"

"…yes, sire."

"Then you know what to do if the situation necessitates it."

"Yes, sire. I understand."

"Good. Now go, Rin-dono needs you now more than ever."

Ruri saluted Eustoma and quickly left to pursue Rin, going over in her mind the grim duty she had just been given.

* * *

Rin sat feeling utterly defeated in the living room. He'd tried to clean it up some, but couldn't continue as images of Kaede and Primula flooded his mind. He heard Ruri enter the room but didn't acknowledge her. Ruri carefully approached him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Nerine-sama will find them," she told him. "We will get them back safely. This isn't your fault, Rin."

"The hell it isn't," Rin shot back, standing up quickly. "I'm the one who had to play hero that day. I'm the one who's turned everyone's lives upside down and now it's finally come back to haunt me."

"There's no way any of us could've known when this would happen," Ruri told him, moving to stand just inches in front of him. "Had we been here it could have ended even worse than it did. All that's left to us now is to wait."

"I'd rather tear this city apart to find them," Rin said, eyeing the door as he seethed with anger.

Ruri quickly caught his arm and pulled his eyes back to her. "Running out of here in a rage isn't going to help anyone. If anything it's exactly what they want you to do. We go out there without any backup and I can pretty much guarantee it won't end well for anyone. Anger is as much your enemy as the people who took Kaede-dono and Primula are, Rin. You need to cool off."

Rin took Ruri's words to heart and hung his head as he felt the strength drain out of him. Ruri hugged him tightly, but could still sense plenty of frustration and unease in him.

"Go upstairs and take a hot bath," she told him. "Since we have to wait we might as well be in prime shape for when we're called to action."

Rin nodded and headed upstairs, starting to shed clothes on his way to the bathroom. In his heart he knew Ruri was right, it just tore him up inside thinking that something horrible could be happening to Kaede and Primula while they waited.

A short while later, Rin sat in a hot tub of water trying his best to relax. The bath was helping some, but his mind was still totally preoccupied with his feelings about the incident. Kaede and Primula were the closest thing he had left that resembled family, and he'd already lost more than enough family for one lifetime. As he sat promising himself in his mind of what he'd do when they found them he almost didn't register the sound of the bath door sliding open and closed. He startled as he looked up to see Ruri stepping into the bathtub opposite of him, her clothes shed outside and set alongside his.

"Ruri, what on earth are you doing in here," he asked in a panicked tone, suddenly keenly aware of their situation.

"You're not the only one who needs some relaxation time," she told him simply as she sat down. "This whole mess has me pretty stressed as well. Plus, I think we're pretty well past the point of needing to be shy around each other. Don't you agree?"

Rin managed a smile in spite of everything. "I have a hard time arguing with you in general, but especially right now."

Ruri nodded in return and then stared into the water intently as she was lost in thought. "Truth be told, I'm really worried about what happens next."

"Like you said before, we'll get Kaede and Primula back."

"That's not the part I'm worried about. Before I left, His Majesty invoked Article 9 on me."

"What's Article 9?"

"It's a specific part of my commission as a guard. By and large in matters of actual defense we guards are to detain and bring in people who attack the royal family. Article 9, which can only be invoked by a select few people in the government, gives us the right to use deadly force if a suspect is particularly resistant to arrest. So by invoking it, His Majesty basically told me that if the people who took Kaede-dono and Primula will not surrender…I am to kill them."

Rin swallowed hard at the idea. "You've never killed anyone before, have you?"

Ruri shook her head at him. "I'm not sure that I could, even though people so close to you are the ones endangered. I…I'm truly scared…"

Rin reached across to her and tugged on her arm, turning her around to sit in front of him. He put his arms around her waist and hugged her from behind. "I'm not sure I could do it either, even with as angry as I was before. Life is an incredibly precious thing after all."

"It is," Ruri replied, squeezing his hand in return. "But if it comes down to it…for your sake and my own, Rin, I will do what needs to be done."

"I'll do the same, Ruri. This isn't something you have to face alone, remember that. If I can help it, you'll never be alone ever again."

Ruri pulled away from Rin enough so she could turn around again. She quickly sat back down in his lap and began kissing him, holding his shoulders firmly. Rin kissed her in return, his hands sliding down to her waist. The last thought to go through Rin's mind before they began was that there were probably far worse ways to work out such high levels of stress and frustration.


	13. Mission Accomplished

At first Rin thought it was his alarm clock going off that woke him up. After taking a moment to get his bearings he recognized the sound as the phone in his room and fumbled for it while still half-pinned to his bed by Ruri who was dozing on his chest. He finally grabbed the receiver and put it to his ear.

"Rin-dono," Eustoma said on the other end. "It worked. Nerine found them. Meet us outside your home as soon as possible."

"Got it, we'll be out in a couple minutes," Rin replied, putting the receiver back down after. He looked down and saw Ruri lift her head to look at him.

"I don't suppose they'd give us five more minutes," she asked jokingly.

"Somehow I think this is one time neither of them is in a joking mood," Rin replied. "But I'll take a rain check on that five minutes."

Ruri smiled and gave him a quick kiss before sitting up. "Feel free to cash it in anytime."

They dressed quickly and headed for the front door, both with their respective sword hilts in hand. Rin knew his would only stun anyone it struck, but it was better than nothing. He began going over his training in his head as they joined Eustoma, Forbesii and Nerine outside.

"Primula was taken to an abandoned warehouse on the other side of the city," Nerine told them. "I communicated with her briefly and found out that Kaede is with her. Nothing has been done to them yet, but Primula did say that the area seems to be heavily guarded."

"Nothing's ever easy," Rin noted. "Let's get going then."

"Actually, Rin-chan, we thought we'd do this the easy way for once," Forbesii told him before he took off running. "Just stay very still."

With a flourish of his arm, Forbesii summoned a magic circle beneath them and, one bright flash of magical energy later, they stood just outside a chain link fence that enclosed the warehouse. Eustoma made quick work of the fence, ripping a gaping hole in it as if it were tissue paper. Predictably, the goons guarding the facility swarmed out to greet them.

"So much for the element of surprise," Forbesii lamented.

"To hell with stealth, I've been itching for a fight for hours," Eustoma told him, clenching his fists. "Rin-dono! Matsuri! Take Nerine with you and get Primula and the little missy! Ma-bou and I will deal with this trash."

Rin, Ruri and Nerine were barely away from the scene before the two rulers were in the thick of one massive brawl. Nerine gave directions as she followed, though she found it hard to keep up with the two of them. Sensing that they were nearing Primula's location, she pushed herself to catch up to Rin and put a hand on his shoulder to get his attention.

"Rin-sama, we must be careful," she urged in a hushed tone. "Primula and Kaede are very close by."

Rin nodded in response. "Right. Thanks, Nerine. You've been a tremendous help here."

Nerine blushed at the compliment while Rin relayed the information to Ruri, who also acknowledged it. The three came to a door leading into the warehouse that had been left open, presumably by one of the guards Eustoma and Forbesii were now dealing with. They made their way inside carefully, not knowing what kind of security remained to watch the hostages. A lone light shone down from the ceiling, revealing Kaede and Primula both tied to chairs and gagged. Rin would have bolted to their position had he not felt Ruri's restraining grip on his hand urging him to be more cautious. He nodded in response and proceeded towards the two quietly with Ruri and Nerine close behind. As soon as they stepped into the light, another figure emerged from the shadows. He was a massive and completely bald God who stood a full head taller than Rin. He glowered at Rin as he stalked towards him.

"Funny how even when a plan seems to fall apart it still works," he commented, his voice low and guttural. "And you've even brought another hostage for me to take as well. How considerate. So now I suppose you-"

The man had to cut off his monologue in order to dodge an attack from Rin who'd taken the opportunity to rush in and swing at him. His training blade only missed him by a couple of inches, but it served to move the man away from Kaede and Primula. Rin stood his ground between the man and them, not letting him out of his sight.

"Like I give a damn about your reasons for doing this," he spat. "And I'm not about to give you the satisfaction of gloating about what you did or why. I'm here to get them back and to help bring you down no matter what it takes."

"Stay calm, Rin. We don't want to give him any openings," Ruri told him, keeping her own blade trained on the massive God as she flanked him. She turned her attention to their target, then. "Under orders from His Majesty King Eustoma I am authorized to employ deadly force if necessary to end the threat you pose to the royal family and to this young man and his friends. Stand down now or face the consequences!"

"Nerine," Rin said as he slowly stepped towards the man and away from Primula and Kaede. "Untie Kaede and Primula and get out of here."

Nerine knew better than to argue at a time like this. Without so much as looking at the man that Rin and Ruri were closing in on she ran in, freed the two girls from their bindings and ushered them away from the scene.

"Finally," the massive God said with a sigh. "Took her long enough."

"You say that as if you wanted them to be rescued," Ruri said, now within striking distance of him.

"Of course I did," he said, grinning maliciously at her. "I hate having obstacles where I fight!"

He whirled with incredible speed for someone his size and kicked Ruri clear across the warehouse, sending her crashing through a crate in the process. Rin moved to attack but found his arm caught in one of the man's massive hands. He also found himself grabbed by the neck with the man's free hand and lifted off the ground.

"You may not give a damn why I'm doing this, but I sure do," he snarled as he choked Rin. "Before you and the bitch messed up our kidnapping attempt we were the best black op team in any realm. Now we can't even beg for work and it's all your fault!"

He hurled Rin into a steel support beam and watched him collapse to the ground. He then walked over nonchalantly, picked Rin up and drove his fist into Rin's gut. Rin felt a couple of ribs crack from the impact along with having all the wind knocked out of him. He then tossed him near an office door and stood over him gloating.

"All that talk before and you've got nothing to show for it," he said with a laugh. "Well, maybe I can get some fun out of your girlfriend here…one way or another."

Rin fought for consciousness as he watched the man stalk over towards where Ruri had been sent hurtling. He was ridiculously strong and capable, an opponent even Ruri might not be a match for. He himself, despite all the training he'd undergone recently, stood no chance; especially not with a training sword that could only shock his opponent. It was that last thought, combined with spotting a nearby fire hose, that gave Rin some inspiration. He summoned every ounce of will he had to make himself stand up and stagger over towards it.

The man, meanwhile, found Ruri just getting back to her feet from where she'd landed. The earlier blow clearly had taken a fair bit out of her, but she forced herself into a defensive stance as he approached.

"Looks like this won't be all that interesting a fight either," he commented. "But I'm sure I can find other ways to get some entertainment out of the likes of you."

"You'd better finish with me first," Rin said from behind him, his voice haggard. "Ruri, move!"

Ruri barely got out of the way as Rin turned the hose on the man full force, dousing him with water and creating a large puddle on the ground around him. He dropped the hose after several seconds and took up his sword, summoning as much will into it as he could.

"And that was supposed to accomplish what," the man asked, clearly annoyed. "Besides pissing me off even more?"

"Funny thing about electricity," Rin said, holding his sword up. "It really likes water."

Rin drove his sword down into the edge of the puddle the man stood in. The effect was immediate and dramatic. Magical energy poured out of the blade, electrifying the water and shocking the man. The man shook out of control but still tried to move towards Rin. Ruri followed Rin's lead and did the same, adding her sword's power to the shock. Just as both their blades gave out, the man collapsed to his knees and then over completely as he lost consciousness. His body startled occasionally as electricity arced around him. Ruri allowed herself a small smile before she noticed Rin had also collapsed as well. She quickly picked his head up and cradled it in her lap as she called for help in darkness of the warehouse. That, and the feeling of her tears hitting his cheek, was the last Rin registered before unconsciousness fully claimed him.

* * *

Life getting back to normal just didn't seem right to Rin as he walked to school once again flanked by Kaede, Nerine and Sia. Their attempts to get his attention that day had all failed; his mind was simply elsewhere. A week had passed since the showdown with the mercenary group that had captured Kaede and Primula and attempted to kill both him and Ruri. The group had all been captured and taken back to the Realm of Gods to be tried for their crimes. He'd spent several days laid up recovering from the beating he'd taken. Worst of all, Ruri had basically disappeared completely. No one had seen or heard from her since the rescue. Rin had begun to fear that she'd been somehow punished by her superiors.

The group stopped at a crossroads waiting for traffic to stop before they could continue. Rin was so preoccupied with his concern for Ruri that it took him a moment to realize someone had covered his eyes from behind.

"Who is it," a voice called out in a sing-song voice behind him. Rin didn't bother playing the game, instead whirling to see Ruri smiling at him brilliantly. He immediately pulled her close and hugged her.

"Sorry I didn't show up sooner," she said, hugging him back. "I had a fair bit to tend to after we took in that mercenary group."

"What all happened," Sia asked. "Dad wouldn't even tell me where you were or what was going on."

"There was a mountain of paperwork that I had to do, including apologies for dereliction of duty and full details of everything that went on during my time guarding Rin," Ruri replied with a sigh. "I really wish the Realm of Gods would consider a computer network of some kind. I never want to see a quill and scrolls ever again."

"Tell me about it," Sia said, echoing Ruri's complaint. "Dad really needs to bring things into the twenty-first century already."

"So what's next for you now that all of that's over," Kaede asked. "I assume you'll be by to pick up the things you've still got at our house?"

"Well I was kind of hoping I could steal Rin for a date this weekend," Ruri said, eyeing Rin as she spoke. "I kind of want to do some shopping and maybe stop by Flora for some cake afterwards. Then maybe-"

"Wait, what about your guard duties," Rin asked, interrupting her. "Where's all this free time going to come from?"

Ruri snapped her fingers in realization. "Oh yeah, I thought I was forgetting to mention that. I quit."

Rin's jaw hit the ground. "You quit? For real?"

Ruri nodded with a smile. "I gave it a lot of thought while I was doing that paperwork, and I talked it over with both my father and His Majesty. Being a guard taught me a lot and helped me get this far, but it's not what I want to do for my whole life. I'm not sure exactly what I do want to do in the future yet, but I do know there are other things I want to see and do and being a guard won't be conducive to letting me accomplish them."

"I'm sure your father is relieved," Rin noted.

"To say the least," Ruri replied. "What's more, my sister got wind of it and wants to get together and talk sometime. She also wants to meet you as well, by the way. She's intensely curious what kind of man could get me to give up that life."

"Just so long as she doesn't get any ideas about sharing me," Rin said with a groan.

Ruri laughed nervously at the thought. "Don't worry, so far as I know she's still happily married. Still, even if she were interested in you I'd have to cut her off. That goes for you girls as well."

"No fair, Ruri-sempai," Nerine complained. Sia nodded in agreement with her.

"Sorry, but I'm greedy when it comes to him," Ruri said, putting her arms around Rin again. "No one's ever made me feel like this before."

"More feminine," Rin asked jokingly.

Ruri laughed and shook her head at him. "No, complete."

Without further hesitation, Ruri pulled Rin close and kissed him in front of the three girls assembled around them as well as for all those driving by to see. For his part, Rin was only conscious of the public nature of their display for a moment as his thoughts focused on Ruri. Finally, he thought, they could work together to protect something incredibly precious to them both: their future.


End file.
